Home is Where You Will Always Belong
by ANK1983
Summary: Her life was in shambles and she had no idea where to go. She had to get away from him to protect her children and herself. She ran back to her family and friends in small town Charming. Would she be accepted back and would she ever be able to love again?
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

Her life was nothing but dismal. The way she saw it, her life was shit and the people in her current life were shit. She adored her parents, but she couldn't run to them for help in this situation as they had no idea what was going on or how long things were going on the way they were. She was scared for her life, which is why she packed a bag and stashed it in her jeep and waited for her husband to go to bed before she left. The only thing in her life worth living for were her two beautiful sons, Evander and Darcy. The situation at home was so bad at the moment that Social Services thought the best thing to do would be to take them away and put them in a foster home. She got to see them weekly, but she was told that until she got herself out of the situation, she wouldn't be able to get them back. She would like to put all the blame on her ex-husband, Juice, because if he hadn't of left her, she wouldn't be in this situation. But at the end of the day, it was her that jumped into bed with the first man that showed her any interest after the love of her life walked out on her.

She sat in her jeep on the side of the road, just on the other side of the Alberta border. Not sure that where she was going was a good idea, but she had nowhere else to go. It was 5:00 am and she was tired and emotionally drained, but she knew she had to keep going. She had remembered to contact Social Services and told them that she would be out of town for a couple weeks, but she also told them not to mention this to her husband, Justin. They agreed to keep this information confidential and were happy that she was trying to figure out a new life for herself and her children. She had told the social worker that she was on her way to Charming, California, to ask an old friend for help and she didn't know how long it would take.

That brought her to now. She had to get as far away as possible before he noticed she was gone and she knew that it was only a matter of time before he started looking for her.

She was 32 years old and she had been married to Justin for 5 years. He was perfect, or at least in her eyes and when she first met him, he was. Then they got married and everything changed. He went from being her prince charming, sweeping her off her feet and rescuing her from heartbreak, to becoming her worst nightmare. It started off with small things like telling her she was fat or not pretty enough or telling her something didn't look good on her. Telling her she wasn't raising the kids right or not disciplining them enough, because she wasn't hitting them or constantly screaming at them, she was doing it wrong. Then about 3 years into the marriage it got really bad. Dinner had to be ready at exactly 5:30 when he got home from work and if it wasn't he would smack her around a little bit and yell at her, and he would do this in front of the kids. From there, the dishes had to be done every night and no he wouldn't lift a finger to help her. If she wanted to rest for a little bit, then he would bring out the punches. It just went on from there. He would beat her until she was laying on the ground and then he would proceed to kick her in the stomach and back to make his point. He occasionally would push her down the stairs for emphasis and he had put her in the hospital several times. She would always deny it when the nurses and the doctors asked if her husband had beat her, but she silently pleaded with them to help her. They would keep her there as long as they could, to keep her safe, but eventually they would have to send her home.

Two weeks ago she ended up in the hospital again, this time with a concussion and a broken leg (the left one, so she was still able to drive) and she had finally had enough. She had filed a report with the police yesterday afternoon that her husband had been physically beating her for 3 years and told them that she was leaving him that night and leaving the country for a couple weeks. They advised that they would approach him about it, but they couldn't do anything until they were actually called to the scene as it was happening.

She wasn't about to let it happen again, so it looked like nothing would be done about the situation. She was running back to her old life and her old friends that would hopefully be willing to help her out. But she couldn't be too sure of their reaction to her return.

Her uncle was part of an elite motor cycle club in Charming and when her family had lived there, she was at the club more than she was at home. She was pretty much raised with the club members and their children. She had loved it at the club and missed her best friends, Opie and Jax the most. She hadn't talked to them or anyone else since she left for Calgary 6 years ago. Once she met Justin and they "fell in love", he wouldn't let her keep in contact with any of "those people". It had been 3 years since Justin had allowed her parents to come from California to visit for Christmas. It was right after Darcy was born so he figured that my parents should meet the little guy, but since then, he would not allow them to come visit or allow her to talk to them. She would sneak a phone call in here and there, but when they got the phone bill she would hear about it and get punished for it. Her mother often worried about her, but she would always try to convince her that everything was ok and that it just never worked out that they could come out and see them.

She looked down at her phone when she heard it buzz. "Here we go," she mumbled to herself. Justin had woken up at 5:15 a.m. and realized that she wasn't there. She rolled down the window when she saw a semi-truck coming down the highway and she grabbed her phone and hurled it out just in time for it to be smashed into bits by the monster tires of the truck. She didn't need to deal with him harassing her.

She checked her mirror and pulled out onto the highway and continued to drive. She had at least another 12 hours ahead of her, but she knew that she could make it to the clubhouse just after dinner time. She was nervous about going back to her old roots. She wasn't sure how she would be received, but she had to take the chance.

She was 18 when Juice rolled up to the clubhouse for the first time and she was there visiting her Uncle Bobby. He had just biked it from Queens and despite the long trip, he was all smiles when he got there to begin his term as a prospect. He was 23 years old, 5 years older than she was and they hit it off instantly. Her, Juice, Jax and Opie hung out a lot and they all got along great and it wasn't long after he got there, that her and Juice began dating. They had gotten married when she turned 20 and it was amazing and absolutely blissful, but it ended faster than she could blink and it was like a slap in the face. She was not expecting him to end it. Nobody expected it actually. He said that as in love with her as he was, he really couldn't get used to the fact that he was tied down. After 3 years of happy marriage, he had served her with divorce papers. She just couldn't wrap her head around the fact that he was still in love with her, but he didn't want to be married to her. She unwillingly signed the papers and that was the end of her and Juice. Her family and her friends were devastated for her and confused and angry with the decision he had made. He was still part of the club, but things got kind of tense between Juice, Opie and Jax for awhile. After that, she stopped coming to the clubhouse and that's when her life slowly started to fall apart.

She was officially divorced in 2006 and it took her a long time to move on. But in 2008, she met Justin and the sparks flew instantly. She knew, in her heart, that this was it for her. Justin was the one she wanted to spend the rest of her life with. She knew this after only two months of knowing him and he knew it too. Four months into the relationship, he asked her to marry him and she had accepted his proposal without hesitation and despite everyone else's reservations about it. They were married in October of 2009 and in January of 2010, their first son, Evander was born. Darcy followed shortly after in March of 2011. The honeymoon and the happiness ended shortly after Evander was born and the hellish life began.

She wiped the tears from her eyes and then put her hand back on the wheel, using both hands and trying to stay focused as the fatigue started to creep in. She didn't understand how her life had gotten to this point and she was unsure of how to fix it. There was one thing she knew she was absolutely sure of, and that was that she would never let Justin lay a hand on her ever again and she would get her kids back and move them home, if they were welcome.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Jax was walking across his property from the shop to the clubhouse to get ready for church when he saw a silver jeep pull onto the lot around 8:30. He didn't recognize the Jeep and lately, with all the crap going on with his club and his family, he definitely had his guard up. He stood and watched as the jeep parked and the engine stopped. He watched as a beautiful woman, about 5,4' with long black, wavy hair, struggled to get out of the jeep. He rushed over to help her when he noticed that she had a cast on her left leg. "Hey Darlin, let me help you," he said. He held out his hand to help her and stopped dead in his tracks when he looked into her eyes. "Peyton?" he stated, giving her a once over, "Is that you?" She looked at him and smiled weakly. That's when he noticed that the entire left side of her face was horribly bruised. "Hey Jackson," she replied in a whisper. "My God, what happened to you?" he asked, the concern evident in his voice. "It's a long story buddy," she replied, "Can you help me? I've been driving since 9:30 last night and I am exhausted.

He couldn't believe that Peyton was back, but the fact that she was back and the fact that she red lined it all the way here in less than a day had him really concerned. He guessed it had something to do with her husband, whom he had hated from the very beginning, but she was so heartbroken after her divorce that she moved on to the next husband as fast as she could to take away the pain of the first one. Her uncle Bobby would be really happy to see her, but what's more, her parents would be over the moon to see her. On the down side of that though, so much had happened since she had been gone, and he was afraid to fill her in on the dirty details.

He helped her out of the jeep and helped her across the parking lot to a picnic table outside of the clubhouse and helped her sit. "Baby girl..." he said, looking at her curiously, "What brings you back to Charming?" He was so happy to see her. She had been his kid sister and he had absolutely adored her and still did and he knew that douche, Justin, was the reason why he hadn't seen one of his best friends in the last six years. "Is it bad that I came back?" she asked, looking over at the row of bikes. He knew exactly who she was looking for and her heart would break into a million little pieces when he filled her in. "No, God no," he replied, "It's just... you have been off the grid for 6 years. We have tried to contact you and your parents didn't have any idea how to contact you either. They had heard from you maybe once or twice every few months and then they would update the club. I just wish I could've talked to you myself. We have missed you around here baby girl." She smiled at him, wincing a little as she did so. "So what brings you home?" he asked. "Jax, I'm in trouble," she whispered as the tears began to fall down over her cheeks.

They were interrupted at that very moment when Tig stuck his head out the clubhouse door. "Hey buddy, time for church," he said before noticing that Jax was in the middle of something, "Damn it. Sorry for interrupting. Take your time man." "Tig, don't be rude," Jax said to him, "Say hi to your little girl." Tig stepped outside and stared at Peyton for a minute before a couple tears of happiness fell down his face. "My God Peyton," he stated excitedly, noticing her fragile state and pulling her gently into his arms, "It is so good to see you little girl." He gave Jackson a look that said, "what the fuck happened?" Jax just shrugged his shoulders and shook his head. "Come on, let's go see the other guys," Alex exclaimed as he picked Peyton up in his arms and carried her into the clubhouse. "Come on Tig," she said playfully, "Put me down. I'm not as fragile as I look." He refused to put her down until they were standing in front of the table in the chapel. "Look who I found outside talking with Jax," he exclaimed excitedly. Bobby jumped up instantly and they both burst into tears when they hugged each other. "Peyton, sweetheart, what are you doing here?" he asked with a smile on his face. Jax just watched the interaction between Peyton and her club family and he was happy to see that the love they all had for her was still there and likewise for her. She gave a very basic answer to Bobby's question and said that she would fill everyone in later.

Jax watched as Peyton pulled away from her uncle and looked around the table. She turned to me and asked, "Where is Opie and Juice?" Everyone looked at Jax and knew that church was going to be postponed. It was a question that had to be answered. Jax pulled an empty chair from out in the clubhouse into the chapel and put it beside Chibs' chair. They didn't normally allow outsiders, meaning people who weren't patched in, into their meetings, but this had to be done. "Have a seat," Chibs said, patting the empty chair beside him. She smiled at him nervously and then sat down. Jax sat down at the head of the table and looked seriously at Peyton. "Peyton, a lot of things have happened since you left," he said quietly, looking around the table, "We have tried repeatedly to get in contact with you, but your douchebag husband hasn't allowed you to keep in touch with any of us." At this, Peyton looked down at her hands and didn't say a word. "Peyton, Opie is gone," her Uncle Bobby said quietly, "Opie was killed in prison a year ago, about two years after his wife Donna was killed in a drive by shooting." Jax could see that Peyton was at a loss for words. Her head fell in her hands and her shoulders shook as the tears took over. "I'm so sorry..." was all Peyton could mutter, "I have tried to keep in contact..." "Shh shh," Chibs said, reaching over a running his hand through her hair, "We understand that life can just take over, or people can take over. We understand that it wasn't you that lost sight of what is important, but your idiot fucking husband." "As for Juice," Jax continued, "He had to do a favor for the club and he gave himself up. He is doing time in Stockton. He will be in there for a few months at least."

Jax watched as Peyton pulled herself up out of the chair and slowly made her way out of the chapel. The door closed behind her and then Jax looked around at the club. All their faces were sad and they still had no idea why she was there.

* * *

><p>Peyton leaned against the door of the chapel and took a deep breath as the tears began to fill her eyes. She slowly made her way to the couch against the wall behind the pool table and sat down. She took in her surroundings and smiled a little to herself. The place hadn't changed at all, it was exactly how she remembered it. Some of the people had changed. There were new prospects and new guys that she assumed had just recently been patched in. But it didn't seem right without Opie and Juice here. She couldn't believe that Opie had died and she had no idea about it. She could feel the anger boiling inside her and just when she didn't think she could hate Justin anymore, he had proved her wrong.<p>

She got up and made her way to the wall of photos of all the club members. She started at the top of the wall and slowly made her way down, looking at each one carefully. Then her eyes stopped at Opie's picture. Her heart broke as she reached up and ran her hand over his picture. "I'm so sorry Opie," she whispered as the tears streamed down her face, "I should never have left. It was the worst mistake I ever made. I miss you so much big guy." "And you," she said as she moved on to Juice's picture, "Despite the face that you ripped my heart out and pounced on it...I will never stop loving you. Even if my life turned to shit after you left." She pulled both their pictures off the wall and sunk to the floor and cried her eyes out.

Peyton looked up when she heard the chapel door open. Her Uncle Bobby and Jax were standing there looking at her and she knew they were concerned for her. Jax walked over to her and took the pictures from her and then carefully helped her up and sat her down at a table. He put the pictures on the table in front of her and him and Bobby both sat down beside her. She looked up at both of them and she knew that they were going to make her talk. She looked down at the pictures of her first love and her best friend and she wished that they were both there with her.

"You said you thought you were in trouble Peyton," Jax said, reaching for her hand, "Bobby and I need you to tell us what's going on." She sat there in silence, looking down at the pictures. She didn't even know where to start and she didn't know what to say. "Who did this to you?" Bobby asked, pointing to her leg and reaching for her face. "Justin did," she answered quietly, "Shortly after we got married he began to get verbally and mentally abusive, but he laid off for a little bit once our 4 year old was born. He continued a little while after that and then once our 3 year old was born he started to get physical. In the last 3 years he has put me in the hospital 10 times and 3 of those times, I was near death." Jax and Bobby looked at each other and she could see the anger in both their eyes. "Two weeks ago I was taken to the hospital by my neighbour," she continued quietly, looking back down at the pictures, "He had thrown me against a wall and then down the stairs because I told him that I didn't want anymore children. He had given me a concussion and broke my leg. That's when I started planning my escape." Jax clenched his fists and she could see angry tears forming in his eyes. She let the tears fall down her face, but she didn't make a sound. Bobby pulled her into his arms and held her as she unleashed 5 years of painful, unshed tears. "I came to you guys for help," Peyton said after a couple minutes of silence, "I didn't know where else to go. He kept me from everyone and everything. I wasn't able to meet friends or be without him. He was constantly watching me. It's only a matter of time before he figures out where I ran to." Jax reached for her hand and looked into her eyes. "We won't let anything happen to you baby girl," Jax said, "We will help you take care of this problem. He will never hurt you again." "Peyton, where are the kids?" Bobby asked. "Social Services took them away about two years ago," Peyton answered, "They have been in a foster home together ever since. I have been granted visitation rights to go and see them every week, but under no circumstances is Justin allowed to see them. Evander and Darcy are in a great home and they know who I am." "How easy will it be for you to get them back?" Jax asked. "The social worker just needs to know that I am leaving him and starting a new life elsewhere. Then there is some paper work and the children will be given back to me." "Would you be able to get them here?" he questioned, "If we sent someone with you to go get your kids and get the proper paper work done, would they be able to live in California?" "Because I have dual citizenship, it won't be difficult to get the boys one," she replied, "Also because of the situation, the court has already ordered that Justin isn't allowed to see the kids, so I won't have to get permission to take the kids into another country." "Next question," Bobby said, "Do you want to come back to California?" "Of course I do Uncle Bobby," she replied, "I never wanted to leave. Justin wanted to move me far enough away that it would be hard for anyone to get to me." "If you want to come back, then we will figure out a plan to make that happen," Bobby said, looking over at Jax. Jax nodded in agreement.

"I need to sleep guys," she said, "I don't know where to go though. I can't go to my parents' house tonight." "You can stay in one of the dorm rooms in the back," Bobby said. Peyton was very familiar with the dorm rooms. She spent many a drunken night in them either just sleeping or having some "one on one" time with Juice. "I don't want to be alone Uncle Bobby," she said quietly. "Don't worry, Chibs is staying here tonight," Jax stated, "He'll keep on eye on you. You can go to him if you need anything." "Thanks so much Jax, Uncle Bobby," she whispered with a small smile on her face, "I appreciate everything you are doing for me. I was scared that you wouldn't be happy to see me." "You're family baby girl," Jax stated, looking a little hurt, "You will always be family. You leaving wasn't your fault. You are always welcome here."

She smiled at them and kissed each of them on the cheek before slowly making her way to the dorm rooms. She opened the door to the room she spent most of her time in and it still looked exactly the same. She closed the door behind her and then laid on the bed and sleep quickly took over.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Peyton walked down the hallway and into the common area of the clubhouse and saw Chibs sitting at the bar, a cigarette in his mouth and reading the newspaper. "Good morning Chibs," she said sleepily as she sat down on the bar stool beside him. "Mornin baby girl," he said, putting down his cigarette and turning to look at her, "How ya feelin?" "I don't think I slept long enough," she replied, grabbing his coffee cup and taking a sip, "I still feel pretty shitty. The only thing better about my life at this point is that I'm back with people who care about me." "It's 9:30 am sweetheart," he stated, "We had chapel at 10:30 last night, after you went to bed. You slept for 11 hours." "Huh," she said, "Doesn't feel like it." "We are very happy yer home, by the way," Chibs said, reclaiming his coffee cup, "We very much care for you and we have been very worried about you." "So I'm assuming you talked about me in chapel last night," she said, looking down at her hands. "We did," he admitted, turning to face her head on, "You don't have to be ashamed of this. We want to help Peyton. You...actually, no woman deserves to be treated like that and the men that do that should be punished."

Jax walked into the clubhouse with Tig, Happy, Bobby, Rat, and Quinn following behind him. "Chibs, chapel now," Jax said urgently, walking into the chapel, "Morning Peyton, talk to you after." Chibs quickly kissed Peyton on the cheek before disappearing into the room and closing the door behind him.

Peyton sat there and listened to the silence. She hadn't been alone like this in a very long time and it gave her time to gain some perspective on the last 6 years of her life. She hated Justin and what he had done to her and she was terrified of what he would do if he ever found her.

She looked up when she heard footsteps in the hallway and there stood Gemma, Jax's mom. There were tears streaming down Gemma's face and Peyton slid off the bar stool and hobbled over to Gemma as fast as she could and fell into her arms. Janelle and her mom were best friends and Janelle was like a second mother to her. "Oh baby," Gemma whispered, holding on to Peyton tightly, "I'm so sorry sweetheart. I'm so sorry this has been happening to you." She pulled away slightly and gave Peyton a once over. She ran her hand over the large bruise on the left side of her face and then leaned in and kissed her on the cheek. "Jax came over early this morning and told me everything," she said after a moment, "Told me how they were going to come up with a plan to get you and your boys back out here where you belong." Peyton nodded her head still overcome with happiness and sadness at seeing her. She couldn't believe how much she had missed her life here in Charming. Gemma helped her over to the couch and they sat down. "I don't know how life got so fucked up Gemma," Peyton said quietly, "My life was perfect and I was deliriously happy and then it got turned upside down." "I know sweetheart," Gemma replied, rubbing Peyton's back, "Things were pretty tough for the club for awhile after the divorce. It took Juice a long time to get back into everyone's good graces, but he managed to do it. All relationships are pretty solid now." Peyton smiled weakly at that and didn't say anything in response.

"Have you eaten yet? Can I make you some breakfast?" Gemma asked, breaking the silence. Peyton shook her head in response. She hadn't eaten the whole way there and she didn't have an appetite now. She was feeling the stress of everything and she didn't think that she could keep anything down. "I'm not really hungry," Peyton replied, "But i guess I should try and eat something." Gemma smiled at her and patted her leg before getting up and walking into the kitchen to make Peyton something to eat. Again, she was left alone with her thoughts.

Not five minutes later, Happy stuck his head out of the chapel doors and motioned for her to come over. She pushed herself up out of the chair and slowly made her way towards him. He held the door open for her and grabbed her hand to help her into a chair beside him. She smiled at him to thank him and then looked over at Jax, who looked like he belonged in the President's seat. "What's going on?" she asked to no one in particular. "There are a couple things going on that we think you should know about," Jax stated seriously, "First thing, I got a call this morning from our lawyer and Juice is getting out today. They are releasing him because the incident was an unfortunate misunderstanding. My question to you is, do you want to go with Chibs to pick him up?" Peyton instantly turned into a bundle of nerves, but she also felt excited and scared. She hadn't seen him in six years and she wasn't sure how he would react to seeing her. "Is that a good idea?" Peyton asked quietly. "He would love to see you Darlin," Jax replied, "Despite his stupid, cowardly decision to divorce you, he is still completely in love with you, although he would deny it if you confronted him. So yes, I think seeing you would be a good idea." "Ok, I'll go with Chibs," Peyton said quietly.

She was feeling very nervous and Happy could sense that and reached over and squeezed her hand. She smiled at him and squeezed back. Most people would be terrified of Happy. He looked mean, he was a man of very few words and he was known to do a lot of the club's dirty work and it didn't bother him at all. But Peyton had always felt incredibly safe when she was around him.

"Next thing. Just out of curiosity, I had Quinn inspect your jeep," Jax stated, looking angry, "And as luck would have it, your fucking bastard of a husband had your jeep bugged. God only knows how long he has been keeping tabs on you. So he knows exactly where you are and he has been following your every move. Quinn has managed to remove the device, but you have been here long enough that when he does come searching, the shop will be the first place he looks." Peyton could no longer hold in the fear that she was feeling. Her heart was pounding in her chest and her whole body was trembling. "I'm so sorry," she said through her tears, "I didn't mean to bring my problems to you guys. I had no idea that he was watching my every move." Happy pulled her into his arms and tried to soothe her and calm her down by rubbing her back. "This is in no way, your fault Peyton," Chibs said, looking over at her, "We have come up with a different plan and it is a plan that we think will keep you safe." "We are sending you back to Calgary in a couple days with Juice and Tig," Jax continued for Chibs, "We want you to get rested up and visit your family before you head back. But we think that by the time you leave, Justin will either be leaving Canada to come find you or he will almost be here. We will deal with the situation here while you get your kids and by the time you get back here, he will be on his way to jail or worse." This is what Peyton had feared. She knew that going to the club could possibly lead to Justin's death, but despite how awful he had been to her, she didn't really want him to die. She nodded her head in agreement. "Whatever you think is best," she said, "I will follow the plan."

* * *

><p>A little while later Peyton hobbled out of the chapel and sat down to a plate of eggs and toast. Gemma smiled at Peyton as she walked out of the kitchen with a giant mug of steaming coffee. "Here you go baby," Gemma said, handing Peyton the cup and sitting down at the table beside her. "Thanks Gem," she said before taking a sip of her coffee. She closed her eyes and enjoyed the warmth of the liquid as it coated her throat.<p>

She was surprised at how hungry she was, considering all the information Jax gave her a little while ago. She was terrified and had no idea how far Justin would go to find her and get her back. She could only imagine what he would do and it made her shudder.

"Sweetheart," Gemma said, waving her hand in front of Peyton's face, "Is everything ok?" Peyton shook her head and focused on Gemma's face and smiled weakly. "I'm ok," she replied quietly, "I'm just tired and scared and I just want to be with my kids and move back home. I wish it was easier than it's going to be." Gemma reached over and grabbed Peyton's hand. She was tired and she just wanted her old life back. "Do you want me to come with you when you go back to Calgary?" Gemma asked. "No, no," she answered, "Jax is sending me with Juice and Tig. I will be plenty protected. I know I will be safe with them." "You will definitely be safe with those two," Gemma replied, grinning at her. "What's with the grin?" Peyton asked, raising an eyebrow at Gemma. "Nothing at all," she replied, "It should be an interesting trip, that's all." Peyton shook her head and smiled before getting up and taking her plate to the kitchen.

Chibs stood in the entrance to the kitchen and looked at Peyton. "Can you be ready for noon?" he asked her, "Just got a call from Stockton and Juicy-boy is ready to be discharged." "Yes, absolutely," she answered, smiling at him, "Just have to get showered and dressed and then I'll be ready to go." "You doing ok sweetheart?" he asked her. He held his arms open and she hobbled over to him and fell into them. "Not really," she mumbled into his shirt, "I don't know what to do. I'm so scared and I just want my old life back. "I know baby girl," he replied, running his hands through her long hair and kissing the top of her head, "We are going to do everything we can to help you get that life back." "Thank you Chibs," she whispered.

* * *

><p>Justin was pissed off. He pulled his truck into the parking lot of a motel just off the highway outside of Las Vegas. He had been driving since 5:00 pm the night before (Wednesday night) and it was 2:00 pm the next afternoon. He had been driving for 21 hours, with a small nap break in the middle and he decided to call it a day and sleep. He wanted to make it to Charming by first thing Friday morning to claim what was his and go home. He knew that one day Peyton would try to leave him, so one day he decided to put a locating device on her jeep and bug her cell phone so he knew of her whereabouts at all times. She was smart though and got rid of her phone as soon as she could and up until this morning, he knew exactly where her jeep was. He assumed that she would run back to her family or the club and that was his first stop tomorrow morning.<p>

He had never really been in love with her, it was all just a game to him, he liked the control and power he had over her. He had gotten bored with her pretty early on, but they found out they were pregnant and so he did the right thing and married her. After that, he decided to make it interesting. He knew that she would listen to him and do whatever he asked of her and she knew that it wouldn't be good if she disobeyed him.. He had too much fun controlling her and soon he became obsessed with it and he wanted more. He began hurting her to feel satisfied and he never had any remorse for hitting her like most men do in an abusive relationship. He didn't apologize for doing it, because he didn't feel guilty. He did it because it felt good and it made him feel powerful. He knew he was a sick man, but he really didn't care. He was looking forward to finding her and when he did, he had every intention of killing her.

_(I just want to say thank you to everyone who is reading this. To the ones who are following and who favorite my story. I hope to see more reviews and if you have any tips to better the story, I would love to hear them. I have also received one suggestion for a title. If you have any ideas let me know :) I am loving just seeing the fact that you are reading it so that is encouraging to me. Keep up with the encouragement because I would like to be able to say that I finished a story. Thanks guys!)_


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

It was 12:45 when Juice was buzzed out of Stockton prison and he was anxious to get home and get back to work with the club. He had gone off track for a while, which made the club question his loyalty, especially Jax, but after his special task was completed and he went to jail for it, he was back in and on good terms with the club and his president. He had been in Stockton for a month and part way through his stint Jax came to visit him and reassured him that everything was good.

It was a bright day in Stockton, California and he was loving it. He grabbed his bag off the counter and put his sunglasses on before walking out the front door. He felt naked without his cut. Jax had told him that he would get it back once he got out.

He let his eyes adjust and walked down the walkway towards the van. His best friend, Chibs, was leaning against the van, staring in his direction and smoking a cigarette. He was glad it was Chibs, now they could talk about the situation and if he truly was safe from actions of the club. His eyes moved from where Chibs was standing to the passenger side of the van where a woman was struggling to get out of the van. Who the hell could that be, he asked himself. He watched as she finally got out of the van. She was beautiful. She was wearing a pair of cut off jean shorts, a blue halter top and a pair of black converse. Her hair was long and black and bunched on the top of her head in a messy pony tail. But what was really evident was the fact that she had a cast on her left leg that went up to just below the knee. She hobbled to the front of the van and stood there, staring at him and holding something black in her hands. Chibs moved to stand beside her and Juice continued to stare at her. She reminded him an awful lot of his ex-wife, Peyton.

He walked a little further and then stopped dead in his tracks. It was his ex-wife. "What the hell?" he mumbled as he moved quicker to get to the van. She began walking slowly towards him and they eventually met in the middle. "Hey Juice," she said quietly and anxiously, staring up into his eyes. He lifted his sunglasses up and rested them on his head and then reached down and did the same with her sunglasses. He noticed her flinch a little when he touched her. He had to get a really good look at her. Even though he was a complete idiot 8 years ago when he divorced her, his love for her never died. At this very moment, he was very much in love with her, but that wouldn't change anything. His hand instantly moved up to the left side of her face where he noticed the huge bruise. It hurt him that somebody had hurt her like this. He assumed that the same person caused the broken leg. "It's good to see you Peyton," he replied, smiling his million dollar smile, "What brings you back to Charming?" "It's a long story and one you will hear from Chibs on the way home," she replied. "What the hell happened to you?" he asked, clearly upset and his hand was still resting on her cheek. She averted her eyes and looked to the ground as she pulled away from his touch. "Another thing we will discuss on the way home," she mumbled. He knew instantly what they were dealing with and he was ready to kill the son of a bitch himself. "Calm down Juicy," she whispered, reaching out cautiously for his hand, "I'm going to be ok." He looked into her eyes and took a couple deep breaths and after a couple seconds he was starting to feel better. That was something she always did with him back when they were married to calm him down and it worked every time. Once the anger diminished he smiled down at her and she stuck her other arm out to hand him something. He looked down and she was holding his cut in her hand. "Turn around," she whispered. He turned around and she helped him put his cut on over his white t-shirt. He turned around again and pulled her into his arms and held her tightly. She hesitantly wrapped her arms around him. It felt so good to feel her in his arms again.

They pulled away from each other and Juice smiled down at Peyton. Juice then turned and looked at Chibs. Chibs threw his cigarette on the ground and smiled before he pulled Juice in for a manly hug. "Shit man," Juice said happily, "It's good to see you man. Things are good, I hope?" "Aye," Chibs replied, smiling back at Juice, "Don't even worry about it. We have bigger things to deal with and we are trusting that you are the man for the job." Juice didn't know what he was talking about, but he was assuming that it had something or everything to do with Peyton. "Whatever it is, you can count on me," Juice replied. "That's what I thought," Chibs said, smacking Juice on the back, "Now let's get the hell out of here."

* * *

><p>Peyton had fallen asleep in the front seat of the van on the way back from Stockton and both Juice and Chibs were looking at her once they pulled up to the clubhouse. "What's going on Chibs?" Juice asked quietly once they stepped outside the van, "She was barely awake two minutes once we left Stockton." "Church is meetin in half an hour," Chibs replied, walking around the van to the passenger side door, "There is a lot going on with Peyton that we need to tell you about. You are going to be a busy guy. All of us are, but you have the biggest responsibility. She slept for 11 hours last night when she got here and then she fell asleep on the way to Stockton and on the way home from Stockton. This princess is exhausted."<p>

Chibs opened the door, undid Peyton's seatbelt and gently lifted her up in his arms and carried her into the clubhouse. Everyone's heads turned as he walked through the main room and down the hall to her dorm room. She opened her eyes and looked up at him as he was covering her up with a blanket. "Chibs..." she said sleepily. "Go back to sleep baby girl," he said quietly, "We will come wake you up in a little bit." With that, she rolled over and her eyes drifted shut again.

"How's she doing?" Jax asked once he was back in the main room. "She's exhausted Jackie boy," he replied, running a hand through his hair and pulling his pack of cigarettes out of his jacket pocket, "And she isn't safe at all. I can feel it in my bones. Something isn't right."

Happy and Quinn walked into the clubhouse and Jackson stood up. "Alright we're all here, let's meet now," he said, walking towards the chapel. Everyone followed him in and everyone was giving Juice hugs and welcoming him back. After a few minutes everyone took their seats. "Ok guys, we have some serious shit to deal with now that Juice is back," Jax started, looking at Juice, "As you may know buddy, Peyton is in a lot of trouble. We need to get her to Calgary and deal with the paper work to get her kids out of Calgary and into California where they belong. We need you, as soon as church is over, to get on your computer and do some searching. Look up Justin's information, license plate number, , and find out his exact location." Juice nodded his head in acceptance and furrowed his brow in confusion. "I'm on it," Juice replied, "But can someone please tell me what's going on with my ex-wife. It's killing me." Juice caught Bobby smiling at this. "This man is a sick fuck Juice," Jax replied, "Since they got married he has been verbally abusive, mentally abusive and just shortly after her youngest son was born, he became physically abusive. He has sent Peyton to the hospital about 10 times in the last three years and she has almost died 3 times because of his attacks. She has finally gotten away from him and the first place she came to was the clubhouse. She's exhausted because she red lined it the whole way here."

Juice could feel the heat rising in his body and his fists clenched and he was mostly angry with himself. If it wasn't for him, none of this would have happened to her. "Juice, this isn't your fault," Bobby said as if reading his mind, "Nobody blames you for this." Juice turned and looked at Bobby with angry tears in his eyes. "I can't help but feel partly to blame for this," Juice replied, "I left her." "You leaving her was stupid," Bobby said matter of factly, knowing that that comment would sting a little, "But what she did after the divorce was not your fault. You couldn't control her anymore than the rest of us could and we all tried to talk her out of running away to Canada with him."

"Ok, back to business," Jax interrupted, "Juice, once you have done your research on Justin Berkley and get everything we need, you and Tig will be taking Peyton to her parents' house. She hasn't seen them yet and she wants to. After they visit, you will take her to your apartment and where you, Tig and Peyton will sleep and then you leave for Calgary first thing tomorrow morning. 6:00 am. Happy has already called Peyton's Social Worker and explained the situation and she will have all the paper work ready for her to sign when she gets there. Happy told her that you guys would be there sometime Saturday morning and she said she had no problem meeting you guys there. We will give you the number and I'm sure Peyton has it so you can call when you get there." "So doing up the paper work and taking them out of the country is not a big deal?" Juice asked, "Isn't it a longer process than that?" "The social worker explained that because of the situation, they have managed to get all the paper work done and have already brought it in front of a judge," Happy included, "All you guys have to do is have all the boys' paperwork ready to give to the border guard when you get there. They will probably ask you some questions, but Peyton has all the answers." Juice nodded his head and then let out a heavy sigh. "You ready to jump back in?" Jax asked him, "If you are, you have to be all in. We can't let anything happen to her." "I'm ready Jackson," Juice replied, "I would die before I let anything happen to her." "I know you would," he replied, "But please, try to keep both her and yourself alive. We love you both too much." Juice smiled. That was all the reassurance he needed. He was back in.

* * *

><p>Half an hour later after they had wrapped up club business, Juice was sitting in front of his lap top in the main room of the clubhouse with a beer in hand doing his research. He had typed in Justin Berkley and nothing came up, but another name popped up that piqued his interest. "I wonder," Juice mumbled out loud to himself as he clicked on James Berkley. When he clicked on the link a whole shit load of information popped up. He scrolled through the information and a picture of James popped up. He smashed his hand against the table in anger. "Shit," he grumbled as he stared at a picture of Peyton's husband, Justin. The asshole had changed his name.<p>

"Damnit," Juice said loudly. "What's going on Juice?" Alex asked him, coming up behind him, "What did you find?" "Tig, we have a problem," Juice said looking up at him, "Justin Berkley is not Justin Berkley. Justin Berkley is James Berkley." "What does that mean Juice?" Tig asked curiously. "It means, Tig, that this guy has done good time," Juice replied, the anger evident in his voice, "He is 40 and he did 10 years for domestic assault and attempted murder. He was released for good behavior when he was 34, changed his name and ran into Peyton and got married. How fucking perfect is that?" "Fuck," Tig murmured, looking at the information on the computer over Juice's shoulder. There was a picture of Peyton's husband on the screen and Tig did everything he could to not break the screen with his fist.

Next, Juice looked up Justin's licence number, which did come up, and managed to track his location, where he used his credit card. You'd think that a criminal like him would be smarter and take out cash instead of using a credit card, but that was not the case. "Jackson!" Juice yelled, feeling panicked. Jax ran out of the chapel and looked at Juice. "What the hell man?" he stated, rushing over to him. "The fucker checked into a motel just outside of Vegas about an hour ago," Juice said trying to remain calm, "He is probably just taking a quick rest before he makes a surprise entrance tomorrow morning. Not to mention that this son of a bitch is not who he said he was. His name is actually James Berkley and he did 10 years for domestic assault and attempted murder. We have got to get her out of here." "Jesus Christ," Jax mumbled, "Ok, you need to leave tonight. Juice, print out all the information for me and then go wake up Peyton. It's 5:30 now, you need to leave by 11. I'm going to my mom's to grab her Escalade and you guys can drive that. He won't be able to identify you guys that way." Juice was running on pure adrenaline at this point. He wanted to kill the bastard.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Peyton rolled over in bed and opened her eyes just in time to see the door open. Her heart began to pound in her chest when she saw Juice standing in the doorway. Her feelings for him were still there, there was no denying that, but he also made her feel anxious and nervous. She knew where it stemmed from and it made her angry. She had never had a fear of anyone before.

"Hey," she said sleepily as she sat up in bed, "Are you my wake up call?" "You betcha," he replied, smiling at her, "Did you sleep ok?" "I was a little restless," she replied quietly, "But that's the story of my life. It has been awhile since I have ever felt relaxed while sleeping." Juice gave her a sad look and continued to stand in the doorway. She could tell that he was giving her space. She wished that she could just push away the feelings of fear and anxiety, because it was Juice, she knew that he would never hurt her, but she couldn't shake it. She knew that with time these feelings would dissipate and she would just have to be patient.

"What's wrong?" she asked, looking up at him. His face was filled with worry and concern. "Tell me Juice," she pleaded. "Justin left Calgary and he has checked into a motel just outside of Vegas," he replied quietly, "We have to leave tonight." She began to panic and tears instantly filled her eyes. "Peyton, what did you know about him before you married him?" he asked, stepping further into the room, "Do you mind if I sit down?" She shook her head and motioned for him to sit. She pulled her legs up to her chest and leaned against the headboard and watched him as he sat down at the foot of the bed. "I know he went through a pretty tough divorce years ago," she replied quietly, "But he ended it before it got out of control." "Peyton, I don't think you knew Justin as well as you thought you did," Juice stated. "Juice what do you know?" she asked him. "Justin Berkley is not Justin Berkley. His name is James Berkley and he did 10 years for domestic abuse and attempted murder," Juice said cautiously, unsure of how she was going to take this news, "That marriage he told you about, he did the same thing he was doing to you and he almost succeeded. His first wife was on a respirator and in a coma for weeks before she came to."

Peyton refused to believe this. She shook her head when Juice told her about this new development. "This can't be true," she expressed in disbelief and disgust, "How could he fool me like this?" "I don't know baby girl," Juice replied quietly, "You were in love and you were ready to move on with your life. This isn't your fault Peyton. It's just unfortunate that the one you thought you knew had a double life." "I was still suffering from heartbreak from losing you and he was the first person that showed interest in me. I knew you wouldn't take me back, you had made that perfectly clear," she tried to justify, "I was even more confused when you came to me that night in May 2009 right after Justin and I got engaged. It broke my heart when I woke up and you were gone. So I figured the best way to forget you was to jump into the next marriage"

Juice had forgotten about that night and he could feel himself get hot at the thought of it. "Why did you let it happen?" Juice asked curiously, "You could have easily stopped it from happening, but you let me keep going." "I was secretly hoping that you would tell me not to go through with the engagement," Peyton replied, "I wanted you to tell me that you still loved me and wanted me back. I would've ended it then." He had wanted her to call it off with Justin and did want to try again with her, but he felt she deserved better. But now he felt like he was the only one who could protect her and love her the way she needed to be loved. "I wanted all of that," Juice shot back, feeling the anger and the regret of leaving her creep into his body, "I never wanted this life for you. I completely understand that you are blaming this situation on me, but you are partly to blame." She looked at him like he had slapped her across the face. "I never said I blamed you for how my life turned out you son of a bitch," she said in an icy tone, "Even after 8 years, I'm still completely at a loss as to why you divorced me. We never had a single problem we couldn't work through, but you didn't want to be tied down." He knew she would never forgive him for that. He had no excuse for why he did it. He was a coward for ending it, but he couldn't change it now. "I'm so sorry Peyton," he said quietly, trying to diffuse the situation.

Peyton stared at him and could see the hurt and the frustration and anger in his eyes. She knew he still, to this day, felt awful for divorcing her and she felt bad for bringing it up again. She didn't want to put the blame on him because he was right, she was also to blame for this. The reality of it was that no one was really to blame, but unfortunately, sometimes horrible things happened to people and there was no way to control that.

"I know you're sorry Juice," she said quietly as she unfolded her legs and crawled across the bed cautiously. She sat beside him and put her hand on top of his. "Just keep me safe," she said quietly, looking into his eyes. "I promise," he whispered, "I will do everything in my power to not let anything happen to you." She smiled at him and leaned her head against his shoulder. He kissed her gently on the forehead and they sat there in silence.

* * *

><p>A little while later Juice had left Peyton to get dressed and get her bag packed up so they could leave. She sat there and stared at the door, her heart aching. Everything up to this point had been difficult, but the secret she had been keeping to herself since shortly after her and Justin were married was killing her. She knew that she was going to have to tell Juice sooner or later, but she had no idea how to tell him.<p>

She quickly wiped her tears away when someone knocked on the door. "Come in," she said as she began pulling her hoodie over her head. "Hey sweetheart," her Uncle Bobby said, peeking his head in the door, "How are you doing?" "It's a little much to take in Uncle B," she replied, "You never expect to have someone in your life keep such a huge secret from you. I'm not doing good. I just want to get out of here. I don't want him to come here and cause trouble for you guys." She mentally scolded herself for the comment about the huge secret because she was doing it herself, to Juice. "Don't worry about that Peyton," Bobby said to her, "You worry about getting yourself back to Calgary and bringing those kids home. We will take care of the rest." She hobbled over to her uncle and hugged him tightly. "I love you uncle," she whispered. "I love you to baby girl," he replied. He kissed her quickly on the forehead and then he handed her a phone. "What's this?" she asked him. "It's a prepaid," he replied, "Use it to call us if you need help and use it to call your kids. I'm sure they are wondering where you are." "Thank you," she replied. He smiled at her and left the room.

Peyton looked at the phone and then sat down on the bed. She quickly dialled the number she knew all too well and waited as it rang. "Hello," said a quiet voice on the other end. "Jenny, hi," Peyton said, trying to sound as pleasant as she could, "It's Peyton." "Oh thank God," Jenny exclaimed, "We have been so worried about you. We got a call from the Social Worker saying that you left for California and now no one can find Justin." "I'm ok," Peyton replied, "Justin is trying to find me. Some friends are driving me out to Calgary tonight so that I can get the kids. We should be there Saturday morning." "Sounds good," Jenny said, sounding relieved, "I'm so glad you are ok. You called just in time. A certain little boy would really love to talk to his mommy." Peyton smiled at this and tears instantly sprung to her eyes. "I would love to talk to my little boy," Peyton said quietly. "Sweetheart," she heard Jenny say on the other end, "Your mommy is on the phone." She could hear him squeal excitedly and this made her heart happy. "Momma," she heard him whisper. "Hi baby," she said happily, the tears falling freely from her eyes now, "How are you Evander?" "I good mommy," he said tiredly, "I miss you mommy. When you coming to visit?" "I miss you too sweetheart," she replied, "I will be there soon, I promise you. We are going to be moving far away from there. Mommy is going to take you and Darcy away from danger. You and Darcy getting along at Jenny's house?" "Yeah. Darcy's asleep now," Evander said, "Please come soon mommy. We misses you. Love you mommy." "I love you too sweetie," she said, feeling sad, "Be good and I will be there soon." "Ok. Bye mommy." "Peyton," Jenny said after a couple seconds. "Hi Jenny," Peyton replied. "Get here soon," Jenny stated, "The boys miss you and so do I." "I'll call you tomorrow afternoon," Peyton replied. They said their goodbyes and then she hung up.

* * *

><p>Juice and Tig were loading up their bags and getting ready for the long drive when Peyton walked out with her bag over her shoulder. She had clearly been crying, but they didn't want to push her.<p>

"You ready to go sweetheart?" Tig asked her as he strapped a gun to his ankle. "As ready as I'll ever be," she replied, "I just want to get this over with." "Us to sweetheart," he replied. Tig grabbed another gun and shoved it in the inside pocket of his vest and then reached for Peyton's bag. She smiled at him and handed it to him. "Thanks," she said quietly. He smiled back at her, but said nothing.

"Is everything ok?" she asked as she walked up to Juice who was stashing multiple hand guns in his bag. "Why do you ask?" he questioned, looking at her. "Tig's just acting weird, that's all," she replied, "Kind of has me worried." Juice looked at her and approached her with caution, reaching up to brush a strand of hair out of her face that had fallen from her ponytail. "Peyton, we just want to get you out of here and keep you safe," Juice said sincerely, "The both of us are pretty stressed out because we both feel that will be on us if anything happens to you." "But it isn't," Peyton pleaded, "If something were to happen everyone would know that you tried your best." "You are a huge part of our lives," he stated, "It doesn't matter what other people think, we would feel responsible." Peyton wondered if they knew more than what they were telling her, but she decided now wasn't the time to push them on the subject. "I appreciate everything you guys are doing for me Juice," she said quietly, smiling up him. He smiled back at her and her heart beat sped up and she could feel her temperature rise. She leaned in and kissed him on the cheek before leaving him to finish his packing.

She walked outside into the warm evening air and stared up at the sky. "You ready to go?" Jax asked, standing behind her. "I guess so," she replied, turning and smiling at him, "I need you guys to be careful too though. Promise me." "We'll be careful," he said with a smile, "I'm sorry that all this is happening Darlin." "It will all be over soon," she said quietly. Part of her was saying this to convince herself everything was going to be ok. She looked at him closely and her suspicions were confirmed just by the look in his eyes. They definitely knew something more, but didn't want to tell her for fear of scaring her more or stressing her out. "You bet your ass it will be," he mumbled, "This guy has to pay for what he has done to you."

Nothing more was said between them. He ran his hand through his hair and quickly kissed her on the forehead before heading back into the clubhouse. She kept her emotions in check, but she knew this trip was doomed and she was terrified for what loomed ahead.

_* I struggled with this chapter. It is a little slow and even though I got everything down that I was thinking for this chapter, I still feel like it's missing something. So let me know what you think. How would like to see the next chapters go? Opinions and thoughts are welcome!_

_** Also, these are all the chapters I have had written and now I'm working on more, so it might be a few days before I update again._


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

It was 10:00 when he pulled into a gas station across the street from the clubhouse. He had checked into the motel in Las Vegas because he was sure that the club would be trying to track his location. He wanted to try and throw them off track. Once he had checked in, he got back in his truck and booked it to Charming as fast as he could. He had gotten a call from the one and only contact he had in Charming and decided to forgo sleep and get there before they left. If he couldn't get to her before they left for Calgary, he would get her somewhere along the way.

He pulled a ball cap on and went in to the gas station to grab something to eat before rushing back to his truck. He didn't want to be seen. He then pulled his truck out of the gas station and parked just across the street so he could see Teller-Morrow perfectly. He watched as a younger looking guy walked out of the clubhouse with a couple bags and proceeded to load them into a black Cadillac Escalade. Shortly after he walked out, Justin saw Peyton walk out with her Uncle Bobby. It was kind of hard to miss him. He was shorter, a little on the round side and he had long black grey curly hair. He hated Bobby just as much as Bobby hated him.

He could feel the excitement flow through his body when he saw his pathetic excuse for a wife walk out of the clubhouse. But almost as quickly as that excitement arrived, it disappeared when he saw the 5'9" Puerto Rican asshole walk out behind her. This guy made his blood boil. He knew he would have to go through him to get to Peyton and he really didn't care who he had to hurt to get her back.

* * *

><p>Chibs watched as a black truck pulled out of the gas station and parked along the side of the road across the street from the clubhouse. Something didn't feel right about this. "What's going on Chibs?" Happy said, sitting down beside him on the picnic table. Chibs got up from his spot on the picnic table and slowly made his way across the parking lot to the gate. Before he even got halfway to the street, the black truck sped off. Instantly he got his back up and warning signals went off in his mind. Happy had followed him and looked at him seriously. "Do we have a problem?" Happy asked. Chibs pulled out his pack of cigarettes and put one in his mouth. "We definitely got a problem," he replied, "That son of a bitch is here." "You want me to follow him?" Happy asked. "No," Chibs replied, "I'm sure he hasn't gone far."<p>

Chibs put the cigarette back in the pack and hurried back into the clubhouse. Jax was walking out of the chapel when he walked in. "We need to talk," Chibs said urgently, "Now." Jax's brow furrowed as he leaned against the pool table. "What's going on Chibs?" Jax questioned. "I saw a suspicious looking black truck at the gas station and then it pulled out and parked across the street," Chibs replied, "It sped off when he or she saw me walking towards them. This doesn't feel right Jackson." "Jesus Christ," Jax murmured, "I'll let Juice and Tig know, but under no circumstances do we tell Peyton this. We need to keep her as calm and relaxed as possible." Chibs nodded his head in agreement. Peyton was like a daughter to him and it would destroy him, and the rest of the club, if anything happened to her. "Maybe I should go Jackie boy," he said quietly. He was scared of what this guy was capable of. "No man," Jax replied, "I need you here and besides Tig and Juice will be ok." Chibs looked at him with concern and worry and his brow was furrowed. "Chibs, she will be ok," Jax said, "They will take good care of her." Chibs knew that was true, but he still didn't feel good about it. He patted Jax on the shoulder and walked out of the clubhouse without saying another word.

* * *

><p>A little while later, once the Escalade was packed up, everyone was standing outside saying their goodbyes.<p>

Peyton looked like a little girl standing beside her Uncle Bobby, she was scared, tired and had no idea what was going on. At this point, she was going with the flow. She was doing what she was told and she wasn't asking questions about it. She was a little suspicious about things when she saw Jax talking with Juice and Tig discreetly. They were talking for a couple minutes, but then she was reassured when Juice looked over at her and smiled his beautiful smile and winked at her. She was sure that if something was wrong, they would tell her about it.

"You doing ok baby girl?" her uncle asked her, pulling her in for another hug. "I think I'm doing ok Uncle B," she replied, "I just want to stay with my family. I don't want to leave again." "It's only for a little while sweetheart," Bobby replied, "Soon you will be back with your boys and then you can go visit your parents. I will go over and see them tomorrow and fill them in on what is going on. They are going to want to know." Peyton looked at her uncle. "I'm not sure that's a good idea," she replied, the worry and concern written all over her face, "They don't know about any of this, they don't even know how horrible Justin is." "Peyton, I'm sure they have an idea," Bobby stated, "They have heard from you a handful of times in the last three years, they are never allowed to come visit you or the kids and you are not allowed to come and visit them. I think they are somewhat aware of the situation. Maybe not to the degree that we know, but they know. They are your parents. They aren't stupid." Peyton hugged her uncle again and this time she didn't want to let him go.

Chibs walked up to Bobby and Peyton and tapped her on the shoulder. Peyton pulled away from her uncle and looked up at Chibs and her heart broke. He was scared, she could see it in his face, in his eyes. "It's going to be ok," she whispered, reaching for his hand. She had never seen him this way before. She knew he could be an emotional man, but she had never seen it first hand. "I know love," he replied, smiling down at her, "I just... we finally got you back and now you're on your way again." "But this time I'm coming back," she said, smiling up at him, trying to reassure him, "Don't forget that. I'm going to get my boys and then I'm coming back where I belong." He pulled her into his arms and held her tightly.

Peyton was close with her Uncle Bobby, he was blood, he was family and he treated her like his own daughter most of the time. But Peyton and Chibs had always shared a special bond. Chibs was close to 50 now, but when he was patched in about 20 years earlier, she was 12 and absolutely smitten with him. He was friendly to her and always interested in how she was doing at school and throughout the years their bond grew. She loved Chibs like he was her third dad. Uncle Bobby was never the one to interrogate the boys she brought to the clubhouse or give them the third degree. Apparently that was Chibs' job. When Juice first showed up and started showing interest in her, he watched him like a hawk. He asked him every question under the sun and he had even threatened to kill him at point if he hurt her in any way. She loved him and appreciated how much he cared for her and watched over her.

She pulled away from him and smiled up at him. "You take care," she said in a positive tone, "Everything is going to be ok and I will be back soon." He kissed her on the cheek and then she made her way over to the Escalade. Jax ran up to her and pulled her in for a hug. "Be careful," he whispered before kissing her on the cheek, "I love you." She wrapped her arms around her best friend and held on tightly. "I will Jax," she replied, "You too." "You bet," he said, smiling at her. He held the door to the back seat open for her and helped her get in and get comfortable.

"You guys take care of her," Jax said as Juice and Tig got into the vehicle, "Or I'll kill you myself." "Yes boss," Tig said as he put the keys in the ignition, "You don't have to worry. We will keep in touch." Tig turned and smiled at Peyton. "You comfortable back there baby girl?" he asked. Peyton smiled and nodded her head. Jax smiled at her one last time before Tig pulled the Escalade out of the parking lot.

* * *

><p>Bobby and Chibs walked up Jax after they pulled out and just stood there in silence. Now they had to wait.<p>

"Jax, go home," Bobby said, "Spend some time with your wife and your kids. Tell Tara what's going on." Jax turned and looked at Bobby. Jax was tired, scared and he missed his kids. "You call me if you hear anything," Jax said to both Bobby and Chibs, "I mean it. Any word from Juice, Tig or Peyton, I want to know about it. Tell the rest of the guys that too. I'll be in tomorrow afternoon." "Aye," Chibs replied, "We've got things covered here. We will keep ye posted if anything comes up."

Jax hugged them both and then slowly made his way to his bike. He put on his glasses and his helmet, straddled his bike and took off out of the parking lot and towards his house. He had always loved hoping on his bike and escaping from the world and from life, but tonight the wind felt especially good on his face. He was stressed out and he just wanted Peyton to get back here safely. The fact that Chibs saw a suspicious black truck just outside the gates of Tell-Morrow and the clubhouse freaked him out  
>and angered him. He knew it was Justin and he had warned Juice and Tig about it right before they left that they might have a tail, but he couldn't be sure.<p>

Ten minutes later he pulled into the drive way of his house and let himself in. The house was dark and quiet. He hung up his cut in hallway and walked down the hallway and into his and Tara's bedroom. The light was on and Tara was reading when he walked in. He could feel the stress diminish a little and smile spread across his face. Whenever he was having a hard day, week, month, year, you name it, Tara always managed to make him feel better.

He sat down on the bed and leaned in and kissed her softly. "Hey babe," he said quietly. She smiled at him, "Hey you. I wasn't expecting you home until later." "It's been a tough couple days Tara," he replied, the tiredness evident in his voice. "What's going on?" she asked him. "Peyton showed up at the clubhouse yesterday evening," Jax replied, "I didn't want to say anything, but I think you should know." "What do you mean, Peyton's back?" Tara questioned. "I mean, she showed up yesterday," Jax repeated, "She ran away from home, from Justin and left her kids behind with a Social Worker. She was pretty beaten up Tara. Her left leg is broken and the whole left side of her face is bruised." Tears formed in Tara's eyes. "Where is she Jax?" Tara asked, "Why didn't you bring her home? Do her parents know she is back?" "No, they don't have any idea about her being back," Jax replied, "Bobby is going to tell them tomorrow, but Peyton requested that he didn't tell them. She doesn't want them to know anything until she gets back." "Where did she go?" she questioned. "Juice and Tig just left about an hour ago to take her back to Calgary," he replied, reaching for her hand, "She is going to get her kids and then she will be coming back to start a new life."

He knew this was hard for Tara to deal with. Tara and Peyton were always close. Tara was two years older than her, but once she became a part of Jax's life, Peyton really grew to like her. Tara was the one that pleaded with her the most to not marry Justin and run off with him to Canada, but Peyton didn't listen to her either.

"He's beating her Jax?" she asked curiously. "He has almost killed her 3 times babe," he replied, "Turns out, this guy changed his name and he had previously done 10 years for domestic abuse and attempted murder to his first wife. She's ok Tara, she is with two of the best guys." "I don't know who you are trying to convince here," she stated, looking at him with concern in her eyes, "Me or you." "I'm trying to convince both of us," he replied, sounding defeated, "I don't know what I'll do if something happens to her." Tara pulled Jax into her arms and held him close. "Don't talk like that," she said quietly, "She is going to be fine."


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

He thought he had been caught when he saw the guy walking towards him, but he took off before the guy could identify him. At first, he wasn't sure what to do because he was sure that the guy who saw his truck would let them know what he was driving. He abandoned his truck on a side street and his buddy let him borrow his Honda Pilot. He figured it would throw the club off for a little bit, hopefully just long enough to get what he came for.

He threw his coat over the gun and silencer sitting in the passenger seat and concentrated on his driving. He finally got on the highway and he was sure it would be about half an hour before he caught up to Peyton and her entourage. He knew they would be looking for the black truck, so they would never expect him to be driving the white Honda Pilot. He had a perfect plan and he couldn't wait to execute it.

* * *

><p>It was 5:00 am and the sun was beginning to rise as Tig, Juice and Peyton continued to drive to Portland where they would stop and have a break for a few hours and get some sleep. They had about an hour left until they got to the hotel.<p>

Peyton had drifted in and out of sleep, but at this particular moment she found herself thinking about Juice. Juice was driving now and every once in awhile Peyton would catch him staring at her in the review mirror. She looked up and caught his eye for moment before she looked away. She laid her head against the back headrest and closed her eyes, thinking about happier times.

**FLASHBACK**

**_Peyton stood there in front of the mirror and stared at herself. She was young and beautiful and she was nervous. It was the biggest day of her life and she couldn't be more excited to be marrying her best friend and the man of her dreams. She ran her hands over her stomach and took a deep breath. She was wearing a white, lace, strapless wedding gown with a sweetheart neckline and a corset back and the train was everything she hoped for and more. Her black hair hung down her back in gentle waves and the veil was as long as the dress._**

**_It wasn't your typical MC wedding, but what Peyton wanted Peyton got. She had said she was ok with the typical biker type wedding, but Tara insisted that she have the wedding that she wanted and Tara knew that she wanted a complete princess wedding. Traditional dress, the Groom in a Tuxedo and the groomsmen were not allowed to wear their cuts. She was happy when Juice said he was up for it. And now, here they were. It was a beautiful, sunny August day and she was getting married._**

_**Someone knocked on the door and she turned around to answer it. "Who is it?" she asked. "It's Chibs," he said from the other side, "I've got someone with me." Peyton opened the door a crack and her breath got caught in her throat. He looked fantastic. "Damn Chibs, you really clean up well," she raved, smiling up at him. She gave him a once over before she realized that her soon to be husband was standing behind Chibs. She eyed Chibs and then looked over at Juice. "What are you doing?" she asked them both, "You know he can't see me before the wedding." "I want to know who came up with that piece of shit tradition," Chibs retorted, "It's only bad luck, if ye want it to be. It doesn't matter if he sees you before or not. But if you don't want him to see you, we understand."** _

**_Peyton thought about it for a second and she realized that he was right. It is what you make it. She pulled the door open for them to come in and she was still hiding behind the door. "Come in," she said quietly. "Be good you two," Chibs said before turning around and walking away. _**

**_Juice slowly made his way into the room and closed the door. "I won't stay long," Juice said softly, "I just wanted to see you and I couldn't wait." Peyton straightened herself out and was partially trying to cover herself up, but was unsuccessful. She smiled at him and she put her arms down at her sides so that he could see her completely. His eyes moved over every part of her before locking his eyes with hers. He was very good at keeping his emotions in check and she really wasn't sure what he was thinking or feeling at that particular moment. "What do you think?" she asked him shyly. _**

**_He kept his eyes on hers as he slowly made his way over to her. He rested his hands on her waist and pulled her gently against him. She put her hands on his shoulders to steady herself. "I can't put into words what I am thinking," he whispered, "You are breathtaking and I am the luckiest man in the world." He leaned in and kissed her softly on the lips, letting his lips linger near hers for a moment before pulling away. "I'll see you soon princess," he said before kissing her on the forehead and giving her his best smile. She smiled back at him before he disappeared out the door._**

**_She smiled to herself. She didn't think it was possible to be this happy._**

"What are you thinking about," Juice asked a little while later. She looked at him through the rear view mirror. "I was thinking about our wedding day," she replied, smiling at him, "When you came to see me before the wedding." He smiled at her, but she could see the pain flash in his eyes. "It was a good day," he stated, "One of my better ones." "I didn't say that to hurt you Juice," she said quietly, not wanting to wake Tig up from his nap, "It was just a particularly happy day for me...or for us and I would much rather think about that, then what is happening now." Juice nodded his head in agreement but didn't say anything after that.

* * *

><p>They drove in silence the rest of the way and about 20 minutes later Juice pulled into the parking lot of a Holiday Inn just outside of Portland.<p>

"I'm going to go check us in," he said, "Stay with Tig." Peyton nodded her head and watched him as he walked towards the hotel. She missed him, she missed the life that she had with him years ago. She wished that she could have that life back. She pulled her note book out of her bag and pulled out the letter that she had written while they were driving. She gave it a quick look through and then folded it up and put it in an envelope. The letter had everything in it that she needed to tell Juice and if she couldn't tell him face to face then she would give it to him.

"Hey," Tig said, looking over at her and stretching, "How long have I been out?" "About two hours," she replied smiling at him, "Did sleeping beauty get a good sleep?" "Shut up," he mumbled. She laughed and tucked the letter into her coat pocket. "How are you sweetheart?" he asked, turning serious. "I'm ok Tiggy," she replied, "My leg and my face hurt a lot today. I'm tired, but I believe that the end of all this is close." "You are one of the strongest women I've met baby girl," he said quietly, "No matter what happens, don't you ever give up. I have a feeling that things are going to turn up for you." She smiled at him and reached out and squeezed his shoulder. "Thanks Tig," she replied, "I definitely hope that my luck will turn around."

Juice walked up to the vehicle and opened Peyton's door for her. "We have a suite. One bedroom with two beds and a fold out couch in the living room," he said as he held his hand out for me. Peyton reached for his hand and the heat that radiated off of him sent goose bumps all over her body. Holy shit, she thought to herself, he's still got it. She looked up at him and judging by the look in his eyes, he could feel it too. He helped her out of the car and put her bag over his shoulder. "You ok or do you need me to help you?" he asked her. "I'll be ok," she replied. She watched him as he went to the back of the Escalade to grab his bag. She couldn't take her eyes off of him and the more she watched him and the closer he got to her, the more she wanted him.

* * *

><p>A little while later once they got into the room, Peyton was sitting in the bedroom with the door closed staring at the letter in the envelope. She knew Juice and Tig were in the living room talking about their next plan of attack. She also knew that when Juice came into the bedroom she would have to tell him her secret. She couldn't put it off any longer. She was scared and nervous about how he would react, but she felt positive that no matter what, the two of them could eventually work through it.<p>

There was a knock on the door and then Juice peeked his head in. She smiled. "You can come in," she said as she closed her notebook and put it on the table beside the bed. He came in and closed the door. "We're back on the road in 5 hours," he said, "Or sooner if we are all awake by then." "Sounds good," she replied. She had slept a lot in the last two days and wasn't feeling very tired.

"Juice, we need to talk," Peyton said quietly, trying to stand up. Juice reached for her hand and helped her up. "I think it can wait," he said intimately. He moved in and cautiously reached up and pulled the elastic out of her hair so it fell over her shoulders. It meant a lot to her that he was being careful and cautious with her. He was making her feel incredibly safe and that just made her want him more. "Juice, I really need to talk to you about something," she said quietly. "I promise you, we can talk after," Juice replied, his eyes burning with desire. His hands were on her shoulders and her skin was burning under his touch.

She forgot about everything in that moment, all her worries and thoughts were pushed to the back burner as he gently pushed her against the wall. "Am I scaring you?" he asked. "Nope," she mumbled, staring at his lips and just wanting to feel them on her. He noticed this and took this as a sign that he could keep going. He put his hands on each side of her face and leaned in to kiss her softly on the lips. Peyton closed her eyes as his lips made contact with hers. It was like the stars had aligned. Everything about the moment was perfect. She had been waiting 5 years for this to happen again.

Her arms subconsciously wrapped around his neck and he wrapped his arms tightly around her waist, pulling her close to him. She opened her mouth and allowed him to explore and she moaned quietly against his mouth as she felt his tongue move against hers. He slowly moved his mouth away from hers and kissed her forehead, her nose, her lips and then moved down to her neck. He ran his tongue along her collar bone and tangled his hands in her hair. His hands made their way down her back and then reached for the hem of her shirt, pulling it over her head. She did the same thing. She pulled his shirt over his head and then slowly traced her fingers over the "Son" and "Shine" tattoos on his chest. She then moved her hands down and undid the button and zipper on his jeans. He watched her as she did this and then looked into her eyes.

"Make love to me," she whispered, "But be careful with my heart." In that moment it was like she could see every thought that was going through his mind. He wanted this as much as she did. He slowly kissed his way down her body and then he got down on his knees in front of her. He kissed her stomach and looked up at her as he pulled her shorts down over her cast. After he was done, Peyton moved backwards and sat down on the bed and put her hands on his cheeks, leaning in to kiss him deeply. He kissed her back while slowly maneuvering himself so that he was on top of her. Her heart was pounding in her chest. This was the first time in years that she had ever felt this loved. He remembered every little thing that aroused her and he still knew his way around her body.

She pushed down his jeans and he kicked them off quickly. She could feel him pushed up against her and couldn't wait to feel him inside her. She was desperate for him. He ran his hand through her hair and kissed her deeply, intensely, she felt like she was going burst. He pushed her panties to the side and with one swift move he was inside her. She wrapped her arms around him and ran her fingers down his back as he began thrusting. "Oh god," she gasped as she wrapped her leg around his waist to push him deeper. He rested his hands on either side of her and looked down at her as he continued to thrust. "God Peyton," he breathed. "Keep going Juice, don't stop," she moaned quietly. He leaned down and kissed her and with one final thrust he took them both over the edge. He collapsed on top of her and they were both breathing heavily. "Jesus," he growled. She giggled and curled up against him. "That was amazing," he said, looking over at her, "I've missed that."

She laid there with Juice by her side and listened as his breathing slowed down and she knew he had fallen asleep. That moment with Juice was amazing and she would cherish it forever. She hoped that maybe when all of this was over that maybe there would be another opportunity for them, but she didn't know what would happen once he knew the truth. She sat up and leaned over and kissed him on the forehead before getting out of bed. She wasn't able to sleep because thoughts of Juice and the events of her life were flooding her mind.

* * *

><p>He parked in the closest parking spot to the entrance of the hotel and turned the car off. He pulled the gun out from under his coat, got out of the car and walked over to the Escalade. He turned and looked around to make sure no one was looking before he shot all four tires. He smiled to himself as he tucked the gun in the back of his pants and walked into the hotel. There would be no way they could chase him out of here now. Now it was time to get his lady and get as far away from here as possible.<p>

_(I have always liked writing love scenes, but I have never ever shared one with a whole bunch of people. So I'm a bit nervous. I have read a lot of good/well written ones and I feel that mine aren't that great. I hope it's good for a first try and if you have any input, I would love to hear it. Thanks! Hope you are enjoying the story so far.)_


	8. Chapter 8

Peyton was getting bored and while watching Juice sleep was always fun, she felt like she needed to get some fresh air. She quietly made her way over to her shorts that were laying the floor and pulled them on and slipped on her flip flops. She slipped out the bedroom door, making sure not to wake up Juice. Tig was fast asleep and snoring loudly. She smiled at this as she quietly crossed from the bedroom to the door and carefully let herself out.

She walked down the hallway and stopped at the pop machine and grabbed herself a pop before continuing her walk to the elevator. In that particular moment she was ridiculously happy for someone whose life had been pissed on more than once. Just as the door opened and she began to walk onto the elevator she heard a voice from behind her that gave her chills. "Hello sweetheart," she heard before something smashed against the back of her head and everything went black.

* * *

><p>Juice rolled over and realized the bed was empty. He looked at his watch and saw that it was 10:30. "Perfect timing," he said to himself as he crawled out of bed and pulled on his boxers and jeans. He sat down on the side of the bed and smiled to himself. Maybe this was the start of something new, he thought to himself. Maybe he could make all of his wrongs right. Maybe they could start over and maybe the four of them could be a family. He knew this was what he really wanted and he was ready to make her trust him again. He reached over on the night stand to grab his phone when he noticed Peyton's notebook lying there.<p>

He thought about it for a minute and then he reached for the book and an envelope fell to the ground. He reached down to pick it up and noticed that it had his name written on the front of it.

He had it partially open when there was a knock on the door. "Come in," he called as he stood up, folded the letter in half and shoved it in his back pocket. Tig opened the door and walked into the bedroom. "You ready to go?" he asked, looking around the room. Juice began to feel concerned when the smile on Tig's face disappeared instantly. "Where's Peyton?" Tig asked, the worry in his voice evident. "What the hell do you mean, where's Peyton?" Juice replied, his voice raising, "I thought she was out there with you." "No man, I just woke up," Tig replied. Tig smashed his hand against the wall once his mind registered what that meant.

Juice pulled on a shirt and tugged on his shoes before taking off into the hallway and towards the elevator. He pushed the emergency exit door open and took the stairs two at a time all the way down to the lobby. Tig wasn't far behind him as he ran through the lobby and out the door to where they had parked the Escalade. "Fuck!" Juice yelled when he saw the damage done to the car. Hot angry tears were threatening to fall and he could hear the blood rushing through his body. He was seeing red. He couldn't wait until he found Justin so he could rip his bloody head off. Tig pulled a piece of paper off the shattered windshield and handed it to Juice. "The bitch is mine assholes," Juice read out loud. He crumpled the paper up and threw it on the ground in a rage. "What do we do Tig?" he asked him desperately. "The first thing you do is take some deep breaths," Tig replied, "You're no good to the situation if you aren't thinking straight and acting irrationally. Just breath Juice. I'll call Jax and let him know what has happened. And then we hunt." Juice nodded his head in agreement before crouching down and putting his hands on the ground and taking deep breaths. He had no idea where they were going to start, they had nothing to go on.

* * *

><p>Bobby and Chibs were sitting outside on the picnic table in the sunshine drinking straight from the Jack Daniel's bottle and shooting the shit when Happy walked outside. "Bobby, Tig is on the prepaid," he said, handing him the phone.<p>

Bobby looked at Chibs and then took the phone from Happy. "Tig, what's goin on?" Bobby asked. "I tried calling Jax, where is he?" Tig asked sounding frustrated. "I sent him home last night for some well needed family time," Bobby replied, "He will be in this afternoon. I have a feeling we will be getting him here sooner." "You better do that Bobby," Tig stated, "We have a bit of a problem here." "Tig, what the hell is going on?" Bobby demanded. "Well, I guess our princess decided she wanted to venture out on her own while we were asleep," Tig replied, "and she ventured right into Justin's trap. He destroyed the Escalade and shot out the tires and left a friendly little note saying "the bitch is mine assholes"." Bobby grabbed the bottle of Jack off the table threw it against the wall. "Damnit Tig, what the hell happened?" Bobby growled, "You were supposed to watch her!" "This was beyond anyone's control Bobby," Tig said defending himself, "She didn't think that stepping outside for a minute would be a big deal. No one can blame her for that. Bobby, I swear we were both paying attention. Not once did we see a black truck follow us at all." Bobby understood this, but at the same time, Peyton disappeared on their watch. "Well see if anyone saw anything suspicious," Bobby said, sounding a little calmer, "Do whatever you can Tig and stay there until you hear from us." They said goodbye and Bobby hurled the phone against the wall.

"Bobby, what going on?" Chibs asked, standing up and walking towards him. Bobby looked up at him and tried his damndest to keep his emotions in check. He knew how much Peyton meant to Chibs and this news would absolutely destroy him. "Bobby, for Christ sakes," Chibs demanded, "What the hell is going on?" "She's gone Chibs," Bobby said quietly, unable to make eye contact with him. He loved Peyton and she was his only niece, but the bond between Peyton and Chibs was undeniable. He loved her like he loved his own daughter, Kerrianne, who lived back in Ireland with her mother. "What? Where is she?" Chibs asked angrily. "Justin got her," Bobby replied, sounding just as angry, "Tig and Juice paid close attention the whole way to Portland and they didn't see a black truck matching your description, follow them at all. He must've switched vehicles somewhere along the way." Bobby watched as Chibs' facial expression turned from one of anger to one of sadness and devastation. Bobby knew it was futile to try and talk sense into him when he was in this state. Bobby watched as Chibs turned and walked into the clubhouse without uttering another word.

* * *

><p>Chibs sat at his spot at the table and let the angry tears fall. They had just gotten Peyton back and now she had been taken away from them again. Ever since he met her when she was 12, both of them got pretty attached to each other. Her father wasn't around a lot because of his business and she missed her father all the time. Bobby helped as much as he could, but where he couldn't that's where Chibs would step in. Peyton spent a lot of her time at the clubhouse and whenever she was sad, down, or even happy, she would turn to Bobby, Tig, but mostly Chibs. Sometimes she would need someone to talk to and she just wasn't comfortable taking about certain things with Jax or with her all time best friend, Opie. She would sit with him for hours and watch him work on his bike and he even showed her some things. But there was one particular time when she was 18 that stood out significantly in his mind.<p>

**FLASHBACK**

_**Chibs walked out of the automotive shop and was about to make his way over to the clubhouse when he saw Peyton sitting on the picnic table watching as Jax, Opie and Juice rode through the gate and pulled into their parking spots. He could see a small smile begin to form on her face, which made him smile to himself.**_

_**She stood on the bench of the picnic table and Opie approached her and pulled her into his arms and swung her around. "Hey baby girl," he said happy to see her. He kissed her on the cheek and then set her down. "Hey sweet girl," Jax said, leaning in and kissing her on the cheek. "Hey guys," she replied, smiling her brightest smile. **_

_**Chibs watched as Juice walked up gave her a quick smile and followed the guys into the clubhouse. Juice had been prospecting for about four months and it was very obvious that Peyton was into him. Chibs had seen her smitten over Jax at one point, but he only had eyes for Tara, so she quickly got over that. This was different though, the way she looked at Juice was different from her little crush on Jax. The two of them had flirted a little, but Juice still hadn't clued in. Chibs could see the sadness creep across Peyton's face as the clubhouse door closed and then she sat back down on the picnic table. He watched as she put her head in her hands.**_

_**Chibs walked across the parking lot and sat down beside her on the picnic table and pulled her into his arms. She cried into his shirt and then snuggled into the crook of his arm. "Why doesn't he notice me Chibs?" she asked sadly, "I just want him to see me and I mean really see me." Chibs knew that Juice was interested in her, but he was playing this one close to the chest. "He does notice you love," Chibs replied, "He's just playin it safe." "Why does he need to play it safe?" she asked, pulling away from him and looking up at him. "Look who your best friends are Peyton?" Chibs stated, smiling at her, "I'm sure Juice doesn't want to mess with Jax and Opie...Especially Opie." "I never thought of that," she said, "Do you really think he's into me?" "I think that if Juice really wants to be with you and it is meant to be, you two will end up together," Chibs replied, "But not until he goes through an extensive interrogation from myself." She giggled and wrapped her arms around his neck and squeezed him tight. "I love you Chibs," she whispered. "I love you too baby girl."**_

Chibs wiped his eyes and pulled out a cigarette. He knew he wouldn't be alone in making a vow that he would find her or he would die trying.

The door to the chapel opened and Jax walked in. "Hey Chibs," Jax said quietly, sitting down in the president's seat. "Hey Jackie boy," Chibs mumbled with the cigarette in his mouth. "How you holding up?" Jax asked. Chibs looked over at Jax and could see the redness around his eyes. He knew had had an angry cry at home when Bobby called him with the news. "Honestly," Chibs stated, "I'm not. We need to get her back Jax. If we don't hurry, he will kill her." "I know," Jax replied as he lit a cigarette, "We will work our asses off to find her. I'm just waiting for Tig to call back with any information he gets from the front desk of the hotel." Chibs nodded his head in acknowledgement and then they sat in silence.

* * *

><p>Tig walked out of the hotel and back to the Escalade and Juice was sitting on the ground beside the passenger seat door, where he left him 20 minutes ago. "What did you find out?" Juice mumbled as Tig sat down beside him. "One of the desk clerks said they saw a suspicious guy walk in around 8:00 this morning, but they never saw him walk back out," Tig replied, "However, about 30 minutes later they saw a white Honda Pilot peel out of the parking lot. They said he was headed east. Either south-east, down to Vegas or east, to Utah." "I'll call Jax and let him know," Juice said quietly. Tig looked over at him to acknowledge him when he noticed that Juice was holding an unfolded piece of paper. "What's that?" he asked him, pointing at the piece of paper. "A letter Peyton wrote me," Juice replied, passing it over to him, "You can read it." Tig noticed for the first time that Juice looked like he was in shock.<p>

Tig took the piece of paper from Juice and a smaller square of paper fell to the ground. He picked it up and it was a picture of Peyton's oldest son, Evander. He put it in his lap and opened up the letter and began to read...

_Dear Juice,_

_ The only reason you are reading this letter is because I am too much of a coward to tell you myself. Too scared_

_ to tell you how I felt for you, how I feel for you and I how I will always feel for you. Too scared to tell you that my_

_ life hasn't been quite the same without you in it. Life has been hell and the only thing that gets me through are_

_ my children and thoughts of the time I had with you. You made me feel complete and you made me feel _

_ important. Juice, you were my best friend._

_ Today was the first time seeing __you in 5 years and despite the feelings of fear and anxiety I felt because of _

_ what I have been subjected to in the __last 3 years, I am still completely in love with you. _

_ I have been keeping a rather large secret from you and never knew how to tell you. When my son Evander was_

_ born at the end of January, 2010, something didn't quiet add up to me. Over the first month of him being in my life,_

_I noticed that his skin was a little darker than Justin's, his blue eyes turned to a dark brown, almost black color, _

_where Justin's eyes are bright blue. I decided to go behind Justin's back and have a paternity test done._

_Sure enough, my suspicions were confirmed. _

_Juice, you have a beautiful, playful and happy 4 year old son. I'm so sorry that I kept this from you, but I _

_really had no way of telling you. But please know that I want you to know him. He reminds me of you and_

_just having a small piece of you makes life a little more bearable._

_I hope that you can forgive me one day for keeping this big secret from you. I also hope that maybe one day_

_we can get our second chance._

_I love you Juice and I always will._

_Love Always,_

_Peyton_

Tig looked up from the letter and over at Juice, who had somehow gotten the picture from Tig's lap and was staring at it. "Shit."

_**(I really enjoyed re-reading this chapter after I wrote it. I think it's a good chapter and sheds some light and background on some of Peyton's relationships. I will try to do this (flashbacks) with most of the chapters. I usually like to write with flashbacks. I hope you guys enjoy this chapter as much as I do.)**_


	9. Chapter 9

_*So one of my reviewers has asked me to try and introduce Nero into the story. To be honest, I completely forgot about Nero, but he will be making his first appearance in the story in this chapter. _

**Chapter 9**

Juice hadn't said anything to Tig after he let him read the letter and at the moment he preferred it that way. He was still trying to process the information. He opened the letter again and read one particular part of the letter over again.

_Sure enough, my suspicions were confirmed. _

_Juice, you have a beautiful, playful and happy 4 year old son. I'm so sorry that I kept this from you, but I _

_really had no way of telling you. But please know that I want you to know him. He reminds me of you and_

_just having a small piece of you makes life a little more bearable._

_I hope that you can forgive me one day for keeping this big secret from you. I also hope that maybe one day_

_we can get our second chance._

He could feel the rage build inside him as he thought about his child being raised with such a horrible, sick person. He was glad that the children had been taken out of the home and away from the situation, but he felt horrible that Peyton couldn't get out of the situation either.

He was so angry, so confused and so sad, he wasn't sure which end was up. The only thing he did know at this very moment was that there was no possible way he could be mad at Peyton for keeping this from him. She really didn't have any way of telling him through those tumultuous times with Justin and if he ever found out, he probably would have killed her. His heart ached, he couldn't lie about that. He wished he would have had the opportunity to see his son grow up in those first few years, but that was never possible.

He stood up from where he was sitting on the ground and dialled Jax's number. "Hey, Juice, what did you find out?" Jax asked before the second ring. "The desk clerk at the hotel said they saw someone suspicious walk in around 8:00 this morning," Juice answered, "He never came back out, but shortly after, they saw a white Honda Pilot peel out of the parking lot. He was either heading east to Idaho or south east to Utah." "Juice, do you think you can do a search for Honda Pilots, particularly white ones, in Charming?" Jax asked, "and track Justin and Peyton that way. They have been on the road for about 3 hours." "Yeah, I can do that," Juice replied, "I'll take care of that right now. What's the plan after that Jax." "Once we find out where they are headed then we will all head in that direction," Jax answered, "We'll have yours and Tig's bikes brought out and we will worry about Gemma's car later. You guys will rent a car and meet us wherever we end up." "Sounds good Jax," Juice replied, "I'll go do this research and get back to you."

Juice closed the phone and put it in his pocket and headed back into the hotel. "Hey," Juice said to Tig once he was back in the room. Tig nodded to him. He was on the phone, probably being filled in. Juice grabbed his laptop from the chair and then walked into the bedroom. He looked around the room, the bed in particular, and was reminded of what had happened just 5 hours earlier. He missed her. He found himself thinking back to the beginning of their relationship.

**FLASHBACK**

_**Juice had walked into the clubhouse but noticed something off with Peyton. He was about to go out and talk to her when he noticed Chibs walking up to her. "Why doesn't he notice me Chibs?" he heard her ask Chibs, "I just want him to see me, and I mean really see me." He closed the door quietly and walked into the clubhouse. He had no idea that she was interested him like that. He was very much into her, but he would prefer to live a long healthy life than to get killed by her best friends. **_

_**He sat down at the bar, completely in his own world, when Opie sat down next to him. "Hey man," Opie said, nudging him in the ribs, "Why such a bummed out look?" Juice turned and looked at him. "I don't want to get my ass kicked Ope," Juice replied, "But what would you do if I asked Peyton out." Ope spit out his beer and turned and looked at Juice. "You're into Peyton?" he exclaimed, "Hey Jax?!" Jax walked into the main room from the hallway leading to the dorm rooms. "What's up?" he asked walking over to them. "Juice is into Peyton," Opie stated. "It's about time man," Jax said, smiling at him and smacking him on the back, "We wondered how long it would take you to realize she wants you. But if you hurt her, we'll kill you." Juice smiled uncomfortably at them and was unable to say anything in response.**_

_**He took a big gulp of his beer and then looked back and forth between Jax and Opie. They really did look happy for him, but he also knew that they were capable of causing copious amounts of pain and he didn't ever want to cross them. "Well, I guess I should go talk to her," Juice said, standing up and excusing himself.**_

**_He walked outside and she was no longer sitting on the picnic table. He looked around and then watched as she drove her car out of the parking lot. "Shit," he mumbled. "Go get her," he heard someone say behind him. "What?" he asked as he turned around and saw Chibs standing there. Where the hell did he come from? "Go after her," Chibs said, "She is just going home. Go after the lass." Juice stared at him for a second. That was not what he was expecting from Chibs at all. Right, Juice thought, go after her._**

**_Without another thought, he ran to his bike, strapped on his helmet and kick started it before taking off out of the parking lot and down the street towards Peyton's apartment. As he slowly approached her apartment, he began to feel nervous. He hadn't planned out what he was going to say to her, all he knew was that he needed to see her. _**

**_A few minutes later he pulled up along the curb in front of her place just as she was walking up the path to the front entrance. She stopped and turned around when she heard the bike. Juice took his helmet off, hung it on a handle bar and slowly walked up the path towards her. His heart was pounding. She was gorgeous, her long black hair hanging in two lose pigtails and her eyes a piercing green color. She was wearing a pair of white capri pants and a blue tank top. It was amazing to him how she could make such a simple outfit look so sexy._**

**_He could see her face subtly light up when she saw him walking towards her and he smiled at her. "What are you doing here?" she asked shyly. "I have to confess something," he replied, stopping in front of her, "For the last three months, you have not gone unnoticed by me Peyton. But it wasn't until today when I heard you talking to Chibs about you being interested in me as well, that I figured I should talk to you about it." Her whole face turned red and she looked down at the ground. "I didn't want you to hear that," she said quietly, "I thought you were already inside." "Please know that I wasn't meaning to eaves drop," Juice told her, "But you sounded so sad. I'm sorry I was the one who made you sad." "So who told you to come after me?" she questioned, giving him a small smile. "Chibs," Juice replied, "With no interrogation, which was surprising, but that doesn't mean that I didn't get a couple death threats from Jax and Ope if I ever hurt you." She giggled in response._**

_****_"Can I take you out for dinner?" he asked after a couple moments of silence, "Maybe tomorrow night?" "I would love that," she replied, smiling brightly at him. "Perfect," he replied, smiling back. He was unsure of where to go from there. He knew what he wanted to do, but he wasn't sure what she would do. "I'll meet you at the clubhouse around 7:00?" she asked, looking at him hopefully. "Yeah, that sounds good," he replied._****_

_****_He decided to take a chance before he left to go back to the clubhouse. He slowly moved towards her, reached his hand up and put it on the side of her face. He pulled her towards him and kissed her softly, unsure of what her reaction would be. She moved into him, wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him back. Her lips felt so good against his. He could do this all day. After a moment, he slowly and reluctantly pulled away from her. "I've gotta go Peyton," he said quietly, "But I'll see you tomorrow night, if not before that." Her cheeks were flushed. She nodded her head and smiled at him as he turned and walked back to his bike._****_

Tears had snuck out of Juice's eyes and he quickly and angrily wiped them away. He had been doing a bunch of searches while he was thinking about Peyton and now he finally found what he had been looking for. The Honda Pilot was owned by a man named Jim Carter, and he lived just on the outskirts of Charming. Juice did one final search using the license plate number he had gotten and turned on the GPS locator. "Bingo!" Juice shouted, "He's on his way to Utah!" Juice slammed his laptop shut and picked up his cell phone.

"Hey," Jax said on the other end. "They are about 4 hours out of Portland and on their way to Utah," Juice declared, "I'm not sure where in Utah, but I can keep track of them as we go. We can leave now. It's going to be a long drive." "Sounds good Juice," Jax replied, "We'll be on our way shortly. I just have to go to Gemma's first and let her know what's going on." "Ok, we'll keep in touch," Juice replied. "Oh Juice," Jax said, more as an afterthought, "I'm sorry about all this." "Me too Jax," Juice said quietly, "Me too."

* * *

><p>Jax pulled into Gemma's driveway and walked up the path to the front door. He had noticed that Nero's car was in the driveway. "Mom," Jax called out as he walked into the house. "In here baby," Gemma called out from the dining room. He walked into the dining room and Gemma and Nero were sitting at the table drinking coffee and talking about whatever it is they talk about. Jax leaned down and kissed his mom on the cheek and then he hugged Nero who had stood up to greet him. "Hey Ese," Nero said quietly, "Your mom was just filling me in on the what's going on." "I might need a favor from you," Jax said in response, "Do you think you could help us out?" "Sure man," Nero replied, "Whatever you need."<p>

Gemma looked up at him with curiosity. "There has been a change in plans mom," Jax replied, answering her unasked question, "We are on our way to Utah. All of us, including Nero." "What the hell happened Jackson?" his mother asked. "Justin intercepted them in Portland," Jax replied, "Justin kidnapped Peyton and they are already four hours outside of Portland and on their way to Utah. Juice is going to keep us posted on their location." "Jesus Christ," Gemma responded after blowing smoke out of her mouth, "Jax I'm sorry baby." "Don't worry," Jax retorted, "We'll deal with it." "That's what I'm afraid of," Gemma replied, "Just be careful, that's all I ask."

"Where do I come in?" Nero asked. "We need you to drive the flatbed with Juice's and Tig's bikes on it," Jax replied, "They are renting a car to wherever our final destination is, but then they are going to need their bikes." Jax looked over at his mother, again she was looking at him curiously. "Your Escalade was totalled," Jax replied, reading her mind, "We'll have it towed back to the shop and take care of the repairs ourselves." He turned back to Nero, "So are you in?" "Of course man," Nero replied, "I'll be right behind you." "Thanks man," Jax said, shaking his hand and then pulling him in for a hug, "We appreciate this more than you know."

Jax sat down and grabbed Gemma's cigarette and took a long drag. "Mom, Bobby was going to head over to Dave and Joyce's today and tell them about Peyton," Jax began, "But we need Bobby today. We will probably be gone a few days. Do you think you can let them know what's going on? They deserve to know." "You bet baby," Gemma replied, "I was thinking about going over to see them anyways." "Thanks mom," Jax said quickly before standing up and quickly kissing her on the forehead, "Nero, we leave in 30 minutes. We'll meet you at the club." Nero nodded his head in acknowledgement and Jax bolted out the back door.

* * *

><p>30 minutes later they had all convened in front of the clubhouse. The flatbed was loaded with the bikes and the guys were ready to go. "We haven't heard anything from Juice in an hour, so I'm assuming that we are still heading toward Utah at this point," Jax called out, loud enough for everyone to hear him, "When we get there we will figure out our plan of attack. It's probably not wise to go in guns blazing as I am sure that's what we all want to do." He was looking at Chibs and Bobby when he said this. "Now let's go get her back and kill this son of a bitch," Jax yelled. Everyone hooted and hollered in response and began revving their engines. Jax was the first one off the lot and everyone followed, unsure of where the journey may take them.<p> 


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

When Peyton opened her eyes, she saw nothing but darkness. Her heart was pounding in her chest and she remember the haunting chill she felt when she heard that voice earlier. She tried to remain as calm as she could without bringing any attention to herself. She knew she was in a car because she could hear the engine and occasionally the car would swerve a little. Her wrists and her ankles were tied up so she couldn't move. She also noticed the horrendous pain she felt in the back of her head. She tried to pull her hands out of the rope, but the knots he tied were very well tied. She tried so hard to maintain her composure, but as the dark reality of her situation began to sink in she could no longer hold in the tears. She began sobbing. What was she going to do? Why did she leave the hotel this morning?

"Well, well. Look who finally decided to wake up!" Justin exclaimed excitedly, "I was so relieved when I found you." "Why can't you just leave me alone?" Peyton cried out, "Maybe I didn't want to be found." "Peyton, let me remind you of one small detail," Justin remarked, "You belong to me. You always will. The only way you will belong to someone else is if you are dead."

Peyton burst into tears and the fear that she was feeling could probably be felt by him as well. That fear probably fuelled his desire to hurt her more. She just prayed that the club was able to locate where they were and get to her in time. She feared that it might already be too late.

* * *

><p>Tig and Juice had driven in silence from Portland to a little town called Baker City. Tig knew that Juice should probably talk about what was going on inside his head, but the two times Tig tried, Juice shut him out. He said he would deal with that once he got Peyton back, but Tig knew that this secret Peyton kept from him was clouding his judgment and vision.<p>

"Hey, pull over here," Juice said, pointing to a small diner right off the highway, "I should see where they are at."

Tig pulled over and they went into the diner for something to eat and see where Justin and Peyton were. Tig ordered a couple burgers and some fries while Juice powered up his laptop. "So what's the verdict?" Tig asked after a long unnecessary silence. Juice looked up at Tig while he put a French fry in his mouth. "They are 20 minutes outside of Boise, Idaho," Juice replied with a mouth full of food, "That's about an hour and a half away from here." "Is that where we are headed next?" Tig asked him. "Yeah, I think so," Juice said, "Once we get there I will check again to see where they are."

They ate in silence for a little while when the awkwardness and the tension began to eat at Tig.

"Ok Juice, cut the bullshit," Tig stated, sounding frustrated and a little irritated, "You have to talk to me." "There's nothing to say Tig," Juice stated matter of factly, "I just want to get this over with and then we will worry about what comes next." "No," Tig replied, "We're talking about it now. What happened in that hotel room this morning?" "Why?" Juice asked. "Well something had to have happened that made her want to walk out of here," Tig said, dropping a bomb that was almost guaranteed to make Juice lose his mind.

Tig knew it was a bad idea to bring this up, but he wanted to know if Juice had done something to make her want to leave.

"Are you fucking kidding me right now?" Juice growled at him, "You think I'm the reason she walked out of the hotel room? It may have been because of me you son of a bitch, but not for the reason you think." Tig stared at him, unsure of what to say next. "When we were together before Justin, she would always go outside to get fresh air after making love," Juice stated in a more calm voice, but still angry, "Some people smoke a cigarette, but she would always go outside. She liked to go outside and think." This was the last thing Tig had expected him to say. Juice had, in so many words, just admitted to sleeping with Peyton.

"Juice, I'm sorry," Tig said, putting his hands up in defeat, "I didn't realize. I didn't know you guys were back together." "We aren't," Juice replied, staring at him incredulously, "It just happened Tig. That's the way things work with me and Peyton. They just happen. We don't plan any of it. Shit just happens." Juice put his head in his hands and took some really deep breaths. Tig knew he was crying and let him have some time to calm down.

Tig got up from the table and walked outside, pulling out his cell phone. He dialled Jax's number and waited for him to answer. "Hey Tig," Jax said after a couple rings, "Where are we headed?" "We are headed to Boise, Idaho," Tig replied, "Juice checked about 30 minutes ago and Justin and Peyton were just outside of Boise. Juice thinks it would be best to get to Boise and then check their location again." "Alright, just keep tabs on their location and lay low when you get there," Jax said, "We still have about 6 hours ahead of us, but keep us posted if anything changes." "Will do," Tig replied, "Hey Jax. I was thinking one of us should probably give Jenny, Evander and Darcy's foster mom, a call and let her know what's going on. Maybe we could make arrangements for her to fly out to California with the kids in a few days. Because I honestly don't think we will be making it to Calgary." "I agree with you one hundred percent," Jax replied, "You make the call Tig." "Ok Jax," he replied, "We'll see you soon."

* * *

><p>Justin pulled into the parking lot of a road side motel on the south side of Boise and hopped out of the vehicle. He opened the back seat door and pulled Peyton by the hair so she was sitting up. She whimpered quietly and he slapped her across the face.<p>

"Don't make a fucking noise Peyton," he murmured in her ear. He pulled the blind fold off her face so he could see the fear in her eyes. "I'm going to untie you now," he said, giving her hair another hard yank, "You are going to act happy and you aren't going to make a sound when we go to check in. If you do, you'll pay for it after." Who was he kidding, he was going to kick her ass once they got in the room anyways, just because he felt like it.

He untied her hands and legs and he was surprised that she didn't put up a fight. "That's a good girl," he whispered into her ear. He kissed her neck and then he kissed her on the lips, deeply and passionately. He could feel her shudder beneath his touch and this made him smile.

He grabbed the bags out of the back and then he pulled Peyton out of the vehicle and they slowly made their way to the entrance of the hotel.

"Good evening," the desk clerk said with a smile on her face when they walked in. "Good evening," Justin said with a smile, "Me and my wife would like a room for the night." "Sure thing," she replied. He waited patiently as she took his information and checked them into their room. "Enjoy your stay," she called out as they made their way down the hall to their room.

As soon as the door closed he dropped the bags to the ground and threw Peyton against the wall. She whimpered quietly and then got back on her feet. She knew better than to try and talk to him while he was in such a playful mood. He taught her well. He was proud of her. Once she got back on her feet, he grabbed her and smashed her head against the wall. A small shriek escaped her mouth and because of that, he backhanded her across the face which sent her sprawling on the floor. He walked over to her and kicked her hard in the stomach.

"This is just the beginning baby," Justin growled at her, "But that will teach you to try and leave me. You will never get away from me."

She tried to get up and defend herself, but he kicked her hard in the leg that was already broken and he could hear the cast crack and crunch. He would not let her get away from him, even if he had to kill her to make it so.

_*Alright guys, I officially have writer's block. This is a short chapter and I'm sorry for that. I have read over this chapter a couple times and don't know where to take it next. I generally know how I want it to end and I can see some other scenes in my head, but I don't know how to get it there. Please, help me, give me ideas. Please message me if you want to give me some input on how you would like it to go, or message me if you want to know what my ideas are. I just need help to get me out of this block. Thanks so much for reading up to this point!_


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

**_The evening and the date had been perfect up to this point and now Juice was anxiously waiting and anticipating where the evening could go from here. _****_He hadn't expected anything really. _****_It was their first date and they were really still getting to know each other. _****_But if she wanted him, then he wouldn't turn her down._**

**_He stood outside the restaurant, smoking a cigarette and waiting for Peyton to come out from the washroom. He smiled to himself. There was just something about this girl, that he had never seen or found in anyone else. She was beautiful, happy, sexy, seductive and he was pretty sure that she knew it, but she was pretty good and downplaying it._**

**_He threw his cigarette on the ground when he saw Peyton walk out of the restaurant. He held his arm open and she snuggled right into him. "Hey beautiful," he whispered into her hair. She looked up at him and smiled. "Hey you," she said back, "I had such a great evening Juice. I hope we can do this again." He turned so he was facing her and leaned in and kissed her on the forehead, "There is no question that I want to see you again." She wrapped her arms around his neck. She was so close to him, every single nerve ending in his body was on fire. He never wanted to let her go. _**

**_"What are you thinking?" she asked him quietly and shyly. "I was thinking that I want to do this," he replied before leaning in and kissing her. _**

**_He pulled her against him and wrapped his arms around her waist as he deepened the kiss. She moaned into his mouth as she let him caress her tongue with his. My god, he thought, this girl is amazing. He ran his hands through her hair and groaned she pressed her pelvis against him. "Oh Jesus Peyton," he moaned before moving his lips down to her neck. He pushed her hair out of the way and slowly moved his mouth over her hot skin. He ran his hands over her arms as he did this and smiled slightly at her reaction. He loved how she reacted to him, to his touch and his actions._**

**_"Take me home," she whispered against his mouth. He pulled away and looked down at her. "Really?" he asked, almost a little too excited. She giggled and kissed his lips quickly before walking towards his bike. "Yes, really," she replied, turning around and walking backwards and giving him a little smirk. He ran up to her and pulled her into his arms, wrapping them around her waist and kissing her so passionately, it made his head spin. She wrapped her arms around his neck and looked into his eyes, "This could be the start of something beautiful."_**

* * *

><p>There was a loud knock on the door to their hotel room, which startled Juice out of his perfect little slumber. He had broken into a cold sweat and his heart sank when he realized that he was just dreaming about their first date. "What the hell man?" Tig said as he walked to the door, "Someone is a little on edge." "Shut up man," Juice replied, running his hand through his hair. When this was over he would make sure to get Gemma to shave his head again. He wasn't used to having a full head of hair.<p>

"Holy shit man," Tig exclaimed, "It's fucking good to see you guys!" Tig and Jax hugged each other and Tig hugged the rest of the guys as they all piled into the hotel room. "How you holding up?" Jax asked Juice after a quick hug. "I'm worried," Juice replied, "Justin will kill her if we don't get to them soon." Jax put his hand on Juice's shoulder and gave him a reassuring look.

"Alright guys!" Jax called out, "Time for a club meeting!" Everyone got quiet and found seats wherever they could in the small room. "Ok Juice," Jax said, pulling the gavel out of his jacket pocket and hitting against the coffee table, "Where are we at with finding their location?" "They are staying at a Motel 6 on the other side of Boise," Juice replied confidently, "I've been checking every half an hour to see if anything has changed and for the last three hours it hasn't. It's about a 10 minute drive for us to get there. I didn't want to make it look obvious by checking into the same motel, so that's why we are staying here. Trying to make seven black Harley Davidsons look inconspicuous is kind of difficult." "That's probably wise," Chibs responded, smiling slightly at the thought, "So what is the plan? When do go get our girl?" "I think it would be best if we went around 4:30 or 5:00 am," Juice replied, "It will be before they wake up and before he thinks about making a move." They all agreed that Juice's plan would be best in this situation.

* * *

><p>Gemma answered the front door when she heard the doorbell ring and she was pleased to see Joyce and Dave, Peyton's parents. They smiled and they each hugged her tightly.<p>

"It's so good to see you two," Gemma said happily. It wasn't really a happy moment, but she was happy to see them again after such a long time. "Can I get you two anything to drink?" she asked as they sat down at the dining room table, "Coffee, tea, beer?" "Coffee would be good," they both replied at once. She smiled and walked into the kitchen and grabbed three mugs and the carafe of coffee she had made right before they got there. She felt awful that she had to be the one to tell them about Peyton, but they had to be told.

She decided it would be best to just get to the point. "I have some news," Gemma said quietly, "It's about Peyton." "What's wrong?" Joyce asked. "She showed up at the clubhouse a couple days ago," she replied, "She had driven all the way here overnight. Her left leg is broken and her face was pretty banged up, the whole left side of her face was bruised." "Oh my gosh," Joyce replied, the worry and concern very evident on her face, "What's happened? Where is she? Why hasn't she come to us?" Gemma looked over at Dave. He hadn't said a word and she knew he was already thinking about Justin and the worst possible scenario. "Jax had found a GPS locator on her jeep," Gemma started to explain, "Turns out, Justin planted it on her vehicle so that he would know at all times where she was. Juice also did some research and tracking of his own and found out that Justin was on his way to Charming. Juice and Tig took Peyton and they were on their way to Calgary to get her kids, but Justin somehow intercepted them when they stopped in Portland to rest and he kidnapped Peyton."

Joyce burst into tears and Dave lost his cool. "How long has this been going on?" Dave raged, "What's Bobby doing about this?" "Justin has been pretty horrible to her since little Darcy was born, but he was verbally abusive to her ever since they first got married," Gemma replied, "The kids have been taken away and they are living with foster parents, but Peyton sees them all the time. She was going to come and see you yesterday and they were supposed to leave today, but Justin was so close that they had to get her out of here. Bobby and the rest of the club have made their way to Boise, Idaho where Juice had last located Justin and Peyton. I'm sure they are working on a plan to get her back. Jax hasn't been in contact with me since this afternoon, but I'm sure they are going to raise some hell."

Dave smiled slightly at this and then wrapped his arm around his wife. "I had no idea things were so bad at home for Peyton," Dave replied, "I should have tried to get in contact with her more." "It wouldn't have made any difference," Gemma replied, looking at him sadly, "He is a pretty awful man and Peyton is pretty scarred by the whole thing. But she is with Juice and he would take a bullet for her. In fact, any of them would. She will be safe soon."

They sat in silence for a couple minutes and Joyce continued to cry out of fear for her daughter. They looked up when they heard the back door open and close. "Grandma!" Abel cried out as he ran through the kitchen and into the dining room, right into her arms. "Baby," Gemma said excitedly, "Grandma is sure happy to see you." Gemma kissed her grandson on the forehead and looked up as Tara walked into the dining room with Thomas. "Hi Gem," Tara said, smiling at everyone, "Joyce, Dave, it's great to see you two again." They smiled and nodded in agreement.

"Have you heard from Jax?" Tara asked Gemma. "I haven't heard from him since early this afternoon," Gemma replied, "But I'm assuming him and the club are pretty busy right now." Tara handed Thomas to Gemma and then sat down beside Joyce and putting her arm around her. "How are you holding up?" Tara asked both of them. "We are very worried about our little girl," Dave replied, "Did you know anything about what was happening to her?" "I only knew what Jax told me a couple nights ago," Tara replied, "No one had any idea that he was so awful to her. The club always had an inclination that he wasn't a good man, but Peyton never listened to them." "I just wish I would have known," he replied sadly, "I only want the best for her." Tara reached over and squeezed his shoulder as a small form of encouragement.

"You guys are free to stay as long as you want," Gemma said, "I'm sure you will want to be here when Jax calls." Dave nodded his head and they all sat there in silence, hoping that an update would happen soon.

* * *

><p>Juice was sitting outside on his bike, drinking a beer and talking with Chibs. It was 3:00 am and nobody had gone to sleep. Everyone was to riled up and ready to go to even try to sleep.<p>

"How was she before you fell asleep?" Chibs asked, "Was she mad, was she sad? How did she seem?" "Woah Chibs," Juice said, putting his hand on his should to slow him down, "She definitely wasn't mad or sad. She was happy, or at least that's what I saw. I guess she just wanted some fresh air and wasn't really thinking about all the possibilities." Chibs looked at him, "What happened this morning?" "What do you mean?" Juice asked in response. "You said that she definitely wasn't mad," he replied, grinning at Juice in an evil sort of way, "What happened this morning?" Juice blushed a little. "Jesus Chibs," Juice replied, "I don't kiss and tell." "Bullshit Juicy," Chibs shot back at him, "You didn't just kiss her." "You're absolutely right," Juice replied, his grin spreading across his entire face, "We didn't just kiss. It was so much better than just a kiss." Chibs laughed and smacked Juice on the back. "Atta boy," Chibs exclaimed.

They were interrupted by the shrill ring of Juice's phone. Juice put his beer down on the ground and looked at the phone. "Unknown number," Juice mumbled to himself outloud. He flipped the phone opened and answered. "Hello," he said quietly. There was no response. He could just hear breathing and then silence. "Hello?" he asked again, looking over at Chibs. "Juice," he heard a small quiet voice say. "Peyton?" he asked. His pulse began to quicken and he was instantly fired up. "Juice, you need to help me," she whispered, "I'm not safe here." "Baby, we're coming to get you," he replied, "We know where you are. We will be there soon, I promise." "Please, Juice," she whimpered. "Peyton, I promise we are on our way," he said quietly and soothingly. He didn't get a response from her. The last thing he heard was a piercing scream on the other end of the phone and then it went dead.

Juice looked at his phone and then he looked at Chibs, "We have to go now!"

_*My creative juices are flowing again, so there will be a few updates in the next few days. Hope you enjoy!_


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

"What the fuck are you doing!?" Justin screamed at her after throwing the phone against the wall and watching it shatter into pieces, "Where did you get the phone?" Peyton coward in the corner, looking up at him with fear in her eyes. She had managed to keep the phone hidden on herself and she managed to make a quick call to Juice, but she was terrified that they wouldn't get there soon enough.

Justin raised his fist in the air and swung at her. She closed her eyes and screamed just as his fist made contact with her jaw. Her head hit the wall and she heard a loud crack and then felt excruitiating pain. A few seconds after that, she cried out when she felt a pain she wasn't familiar with. She looked down and watched as Justin pulled a knife out of her leg. "Don't ever fucking cross me again, or I will kill you," he said through gritted teeth as he crouched down in front of her. She turned her head away and he grabbed her face and made her look at him. "My face will be the last face you see," he growled as he took the knife and with just enough pressure ran it down the length of her arm. She whimpered and against her better judgment let the tears fall as she watched the blood slide down her arm and onto the floor.

* * *

><p>Juice jumped off his bike and ran into the hotel room with Chibs hot on his heels. "Hey!" Juice yelled, getting everyone's attention, "We have to go now!" "What the hell man?" Chibs roared, "What was that all about?" "Peyton just called me," Juice stated, "She sounded awful, scared. She sounded hurt. She didn't say much, but right after I told her we were coming for her, there was a piercing scream and then the phone went dead. So when I say we have to go now, I mean that we have to go now!"<p>

Everyone was up and on their feet in a matter of seconds. They all grabbed their guns, kuttes and ran out to their bikes. "Jax, where do you want me?" Nero called out. "Take the rental car and follow us there," Jax yelled back over the noise of the Harleys. "Hey Nero," Tig called, "Here are the keys." Tig threw Nero the keys. "Thanks man," Nero called out. He ran to the car and followed the parade of Harleys out of the parking lot.

* * *

><p>About 20 minutes later Justin heard the bikes roll into the parking lot of the motel. "You have got to be fucking kidding me!" he yelled as he peeked out the curtain. He reached for the gun that was tucked in his pants just to make sure it was still there. He then walked over to Peyton, grabbed her by the arm and dragged her to the bathroom. He threw her against the wall and slammed the door shut. He was pretty sure that she was hurt enough that she wouldn't be able to get out of the washroom.<p>

He heard her attempting to scream out, but he had broken her jaw, so it was more of a loud whimper. "Fuck," he grumbled as she began pounding on the door. His anger got the better of him and he kicked the bathroom door open. He watched as her head flew backwards and her whole body slammed against the floor. "That will shut her up for a little while," he mumbled to himself as he looked at her limp body laying on the floor.

His heart was pounding in his chest and he was running on pure adrenaline at this point. Now that Peyton was out the way for the moment, he was ready for whatever they threw his way.

* * *

><p>Juice and Jax noticed the white Honda Pilot parked in the parking lot and casually walked into the lobby.<p>

"Can I help you?" the desk clerk asked, clearly intimidated by their presence. "Hey Darlin, we are looking for a Justin Berkley?" Jax asked her sweetly, "I was wondering if you could tell me which room he was in?" "I'm sorry sir, but we can't give out that information," she replied. Juice walked up to the counter and discreetly laid his gun on the counter. "You would be doing us a big favor sweetheart if you would just cooperate with us," Jax replied, "This guy is a bad man, the worst kind of criminal. He's got our friend and she will be in a lot of trouble if we don't get to her soon." She looked at the gun, they had clearly gotten their point across. "Him and his wife are in room 112," she replied, trying to stay calm, "They looked very happy." Jax and Juice both laughed at that remark. "Thank you Darlin for being so accommodating," Jax said, smiling his charming smile at her, "Now, please leave the building. You don't need to be here for this." She looked terrified as she grabbed her purse and her coat and ran out of the building.

Juice ran outside and motioned for the rest of the guys to come in. They quickly, but quietly all made their way into the motel and followed Jax down the hall towards room 112.

Jax motioned for them to be quiet as he knocked on the door. They waited a few seconds and there was no response. Jax put his finger to his lips and knocked one more time. Again, there was no response. Jax turned and looked at the guys and in silence he counted to three before he kicked the door in.

The sound of guns shots rang in everyone's ears and they all ducked. Happy and Tig pulled out their guns and barged into the room and saw Justin run into the bedroom. They heard the window shatter. "Go after him," Jax yelled as he fell to the ground in pain, "Happy and Tig, go after him." "Holy shit!" Juice growled, kneeling down beside Jax, "You ok man?" "Don't worry about me," Jax replied, "just go after the son of a bitch!"

Juice, Chibs, Rat, Quinn and Nero ran down the hallway to try and catch Justin and left Bobby with Jax. "Jax, where did he hit ya?" Bobby asked. Jax managed to push himself up so he was sitting against the wall. He was holding his hand against his side and winced. He could also feel pain in his leg. "He got me in the stomach, but I think it's just a flesh wound," Jax replied, breathing heavily, "And he got me in the leg." "Shit," Bobby mumbled. He reached for the hem of Jax's shirt and ripped a long piece off and tied it tightly around Jax's leg and then he grabbed a box of Kleenex off the desk and handed it to Jax. "Put pressure on the stomach wound Jax," Bobby said, "We don't want you bleeding out."

Jax looked at him gratefully and then concern crossed his face. "Bobby, look for Peyton," Jax said, "She has to be in here somewhere." Bobby flicked on the lights and first searched the bedroom. When he didn't find her there, he noticed that the bathroom door was closed. Jax watched as Bobby slowly opened the door and he continued to watch as Bobby collapsed to the ground and angry tears began to roll down his face. "Bobby, what the hell?" Jax grumbled as he slowly tried to make his way to the bathroom. Jax couldn't go any further, he was in too much pain.

Bobby turned and looked at Jax, the sadness and anger very evident on his face. "Jax, it's pretty bad," Bobby said quietly. He pushed himself up and disappeared into the bathroom. "She's been stabbed Jax," Bobby called out, "Once in the thigh, a pretty deep cut and then he cut along the whole length of her arm. She's bleeding pretty badly and she's breathing but unconscious." "Jesus Christ," Jax yelled out, "Bobby, help me up." Bobby came out of the bathroom and gently help Jax stand up. He slowly walked him into the bathroom and then Jax lost control of his emotions. The tears streamed down his cheeks and Bobby helped him kneel down beside Peyton. He bent down and pressed his forehead against hers. "Hang on baby girl," Jax whispered, "We're going to get you outta here soon."

Jax lifted his head when he heard a loud ruckus in the hallway. Bobby stepped out of the bathroom and stopped dead in his tracks. Jax moved as quickly as he could to the doorway so he could see what was going on and the next thing he knew, Justin flew through the door, his gun aimed at Bobby's head. Jax watched as Bobby stood up, charged and made a beeline straight for Justin. Jax watched everything unravel around him.

Chibs flew into the room and tackled Justin to the ground just as Justin pulled the trigger.

"No!" Jax yelled from his place on the ground. Everything seemed to slow down at that moment and it was almost like Jax was watching everything happen in slow motion. Bobby stood there for a moment and looked at Jax before he toppled over and hit the ground.

Chibs yanked the gun out of Justin's hand and smashed him over the head with it.

Jax managed to crawl his way over to Bobby, despite the pain and he looked down at him. "Bobby?" Jax said quietly, tears forming in his eyes. He looked and the bullet had hit on the right side of his chest. "Bobby, hang in there," Jax pleaded. "I'm doing ok Jax," Bobby whispered, his eyes barely open, "Just take care of Peyton." The tears fell from Jax's eyes and landed on Bobby's shirt. "We will take care of both of you," Jax replied.

Chibs quickly made his way over to Bobby as well and noticed Peyton on the floor in the bathroom. "Jax," Chibs said quietly, "Is she..." "No Chibs," Jax replied, "She's still alive." Chibs breathed a sigh of relief and leaned against the wall. Jax and Chibs looked at each other when they heard the police sirens getting closer to the motel. "What do we do with this son of a bitch?" Chibs asked, nudging Justin's limp body with his foot. "Let the cops take him," Jax replied, "Let him rot in jail. He's not worth it."

Tig ran into the room. "We've got a problem," Tig said, looking down at Jax and Bobby and then noticing Peyton in the bathroom, "Clearly we have a bigger problem than I thought." "What's going on outside?" Jax asked. "Well, the cops are coming for one," Tig replied, angrily wiping at his eyes, "And Juice is down. I watched Juice try and fight Justin before he ran back in here. Juice was stabbed right through the shoulder and in the stomach."

Tig noticed at that point that Justin was coming to. Tig walked up to him and stood over him. "What the hell were you thinking asshole?" Tig yelled at him, "You think you could come in here and attack my family and get away with it?" Justin slowly pushed himself up on his hands and knees and tried to reach for his gun, which was just inches from his hand. Tig kicked Justin's hand away from the gun and then bent over to pick it up. "Think again you son of a bitch," Tig said angrily, "No one can save you now." Tig pointed the gun at Justin's head and pulled the trigger.

* * *

><p>Five minutes later, the cops had arrived and the motel was in complete shambles. Juice tried to stand up when a cop slowly approached him. "Sir, I'm Officer Watts," the cop said, "what happened here?" "I'm not sure what happened inside," Juice replied in a whisper, "But I'm pretty sure you are going to need multiple ambulances." Juice kept his hand over the stab wound to his stomach. It was getting harder to breath and he was feeling woozy. "Sir, are you hurt?" Officer Watts asked, kneeling down in front of him. Juice nodded his head. "Pretty badly," Juice whispered.<p>

Officer Watts stood up when his partner ran out of the motel and radioed the ambulance service. "We have five down at the Motel 6," he said into the radio, "We need EMTs here as soon as possible."

Juice closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Five down? He asked himself. He shook his head as his vision began to get cloudy. "Officer Watts, what's going on inside?" Juice asked, trying to stay awake. Officer Watts walked back over to him with his partner. "Sir, this is my partner, Officer Jacobs," he replied, "It appears there is one man dead, two men down and a woman down. Do you know these people?" "They are only my family," he replied, feeling helpless, "Make sure they are taken care of." "Sir, we plan to make sure you are all taken care of," Office Jacobs replied. "Thank you," Juice replied.

He could no longer fight it. It was significantly harder for him to breath and he slowly closed his eyes as the darkness overtook him.


	13. Chapter 13

_*I apologize for taking so long to update. I am amazed at all the requests for more! I love hearing that! I hope you enjoy this chapter and I will try to update again soon!_

**Chapter 13**

Gemma was sitting at the dining room table with a cup of coffee and her cell phone attached to her ear. "Good morning, Social Services," the lady on the other end said cheerfully, "How can I help you?" "Good morning," Gemma replied, "My name is Gemma Teller and I would like to talk to Jenny Simmons." "This is Jenny Simmons," she replied, "What can I do for you?" "I am a very close friend of Peyton Berkley's," Gemma began to explain, "She is in a very tough situation as you may know and I was wondering if we could make some new arrangements." "I'm not really at liberty to discuss our clients," Jenny replied, "Has something happened Ms. Teller?" "Yes, something very serious," Gemma replied, "I just need to know if Peyton has listed her parents as guardians of the children if the need should arise?" "Hold on one moment Ms. Teller, I'll have to go get the file," Jenny replied.

Gemma sat there and waited and drummed her fingers on the table. She was hoping that there was something on the file stating that if anything happened to Peyton, the kids were to go to either their grandparents or someone else that Peyton may have listed.

"Ms. Teller," Jenny said a few minutes later, "She has her parents, Dave and Joyce, on the file, but your name and Juan Carlos Ortiz's name is on the file." What the fuck, Gemma thought to herself, why would Juice's name be on the file? "Really?" Gemma questioned, "Why would Mr. Ortiz's name be on the file?" "He is listed as Evander's biological father," Jenny replied. Gemma's jaw hit the ground. She could not believe what she was hearing.

"Yes of course," Gemma replied, trying to act normal about the situation, "Justin Berkley has kidnapped Peyton and our family is out searching for her." "Oh my God," Jenny gasped, "Do you have any idea where they are?" "Well, you may know that Peyton's uncle is a part of a motorcycle club out here in Charming," Gemma said, "And so is her ex-husband Juan Ortiz, but we call him Juice. The whole club is out looking for her right now. I haven't received an update at this point." "I'm so sorry Ms. Teller," Jenny said quietly, "So I'm assuming you are all very close with Peyton." "More than you know Jenny," Gemma replied. "Well, how can I help?" Jenny asked, "I'll do whatever I can." "I was just wondering, since my name is on the file, is there any way to bring the children here?" Gemma asked, hoping that the situation would soften her up a little, "Her parents are here, I am here and the original plan was for Peyton to move out here once she could get away from Justin. Would Social Services and the children's foster parents be able to make this work?"

Gemma felt uneasy when there was no reply. There was just silence. "Hello?" Gemma asked nervously. "Ms. Teller, I am Evander and Darcy's foster mom," Jenny said quietly, "Peyton and I are very close friends. Since your name is on the list, I am allowed to bring the kids to you." Gemma started to breathe a little easier at this. "I would have to know that if for some reason you couldn't take care of them, that Dave and Joyce would be able to take them," Jenny stated, "I would have quite a bit of paper work to do and file it with the court, but I could have it done and filed tomorrow and I could fly out with the kids the day after tomorrow." "That would be perfect!" Gemma exclaimed, "You don't know what this will mean to me and to Peyton's parents." "Also, I need you to contact me the moment you hear about Peyton," Jenny said urgently, "Not just for the kids benefit, but for mine also." "You have my word Jenny," Gemma replied, "Just give me a call if you need anything at all."

Gemma put her phone down and took a big sip of her coffee. Now that that was done, she could worry about other things. She hadn't heard from anyone all night. She had tried calling every single person in the club and no one answered. Nero didn't even answer his phone when she tried him, which was rare.

Gemma had just lit a cigarette when her cell phone rang. She looked at the clock. It read 10:30 am. Gemma hadn't talked to anyone in over 15 hours.

"Nero?" Gemma asked quietly. "Yeah, it's me mama," he replied, sounding exhausted. "What's going on? Are you ok?" Gemma asked, "Did they find Peyton?" "Calm down Gem," Nero said, "A lot of shit went down last night and I have been assigned to let you know what's happening." Gemma was worried and took a big drag on her cigarette. "Juice received a phone call from Peyton last night around 3:00 am asking him to help her. She apparently sounded very scared and hurt," Nero began, "Anyways, Juice lost his mind when the connection went dead and everyone rushed over to the hotel that Justin and Peyton were at. Gem, it's a very long story so I'm cutting to the end." "Is my family ok?" Gemma asked sternly. "I don't know," Nero replied, "Bobby got shot in the chest on the right side. He lost a lot of blood and they aren't sure if he will make it. Jax was shot twice, once in the leg and once in the stomach. He will be ok. The bullet to his stomach just grazed his side."

Gemma's heart ached and she couldn't take anymore, not if the rest of the news was going to be like this. "Baby," Gemma said quietly, "How much more is there?" "Juice got stabbed twice Gem," Nero replied, "He is in severely critical condition, but stable for now. He was stabbed in the shoulder and in the stomach. Justin is dead and Peyton is also in critical condition, but stable." "Justin's dead?" Gemma questioned, "Who killed him?" "Tig," Nero replied, "Tig is being held here until his bail hearing in two days. Happy and the rest of the guys have left already and I am staying here until Tig is released."

Her heart soared. Gemma had never asked Nero to become apart of this life, she knew how he felt about getting out of this particular life, but he stayed and he was willing to do whatever it took to be a part of her life.

"Jax, Bobby, Juice and Peyton are all being air lifted to St. Thomas this morning," Nero stated, "They should actually be there by now or if not, then very soon. I'm sure Tara will fill you in." "Ok, thanks baby, for everything," Gemma said sincerely, "I love you." "I love you too mama," Nero replied, "I'm gonna let you go for now, but I'll call later."

Gemma said goodbye and put her phone down on the table. Her head was pounding and she was worried about her family.

She didn't have much time to think because not five minutes later Tara flew into the house. "We've gotta go now," she exclaimed urgently, "I'm sure Nero filled you in. They all just got to the hospital."

Gemma stood up, grabbed her purse and they were out the door.

* * *

><p>Jax was sitting up in his hospital bed when his mom rushed in in a panic. "Oh my god, baby," Gemma said, her voice filled with concern, "Are you ok?" "I'm fine mom. It's not me you need to be worried about," Jax replied, taking a deep breath in when his mother attacked him with a hug, "Jesus mom! Be careful."<p>

Gemma pulled away quickly and looked him over. "Will the gun shot wound to your leg affect you at all?" she asked quietly, referring to him being able to still ride. "No, it just needs time to heal."

Jax was exhausted, he hurt and half of his family had been beaten and shot down. The anger and the hate that he saw in Tig's eyes before he pulled the trigger and shot Justin dead would haunt Jax forever. He had no idea what was going to happen to him. He couldn't believe the destruction that Justin had brought to his club and his family. He was frustrated that the doctors wouldn't tell him anything.

Gemma sat beside him in silence and held his hand. Neither one of them knew what to say.

Tara walked in a couple minutes later and she looked troubled. She walked up to Jax and ran her hands through his hair and kissed him softly. "Hey babe," he whispered before kissing her again, "What did you find out?"

The three of them squished on to the bed and Tara looked down at her hands. Jax rubbed her back, trying to soothe her, he knew that the news wasn't good.

"I've seen all 3 of them," Tara said quietly, "I am not the doctor assigned to them, but I am allowed access to them and to their files because of my relationship to all of you. I'll start with Peyton. She hasn't woken up yet since you guys found her on the bathroom floor in the hotel room. They will have to perform a significant amount of tests, which they will be starting shortly, to see if there is any swelling in the brain and to see if there was any major damage done when she was stabbed in the stomach. It appears that she was hit in the head and face multiple times and judging by the result of the x-ray they just did on her, she has three broken ribs and an additional fracture to her already broken leg."

Jax clenched his fists, trying to keep the anger at bay. Part of him had wished that it was him that had pulled the trigger and shot Justin dead, but regardless, Justin was dead. That's all that mattered.

"Is she going to be ok?" Gemma asked quietly. "She is doing ok right now," Tara replied, "But we can't say much for sure because we just don't know. We will know more once all the tests have been performed." Jax and Gemma nodded their heads in acknowledgment. "Now, with respect to Juice," Tara continued, "The stab wound to his shoulder was nothing to be concerned about. They stitched him up, but as for the stab wound to his stomach, they aren't sure how much damage was done, because Justin got him right in the middle. They aren't sure what the knife hit, if anything. They are taking him into surgery this morning." "Has he woken up?" Jax asked. "He woke up once, right after he got here," Tara replied, "The cops and doctors both tried to get as much information out of him as possible, but he couldn't stay awake."

Jax was beginning to feel the weight of the damage that was done last night. He just wanted to close his eyes and wake up from this horrible dream. He wanted to go back to five years ago, when him and Chibs tried to talk Peyton out of marrying that son of a bitch. Only the second time, in his mind, they would have been successful in talking her out of it.

**FLASHBACK**

_**Jax and Chibs stared at Peyton in shock when she had told them her "exciting" news. This news was not exciting to either one of them and they were pretty sure that the news wouldn't go over well with her family and the rest of the club.**_

_**"What the hell do you mean, you're getting married?" Chibs asked, the anger very evident in his eyes. "I mean, I'm getting married!" Peyton exclaimed excitedly, "I thought the two of you would at least try to be happy for me." "I don't know how you think we can be happy that you're marrying this prick?" Chibs snarled, "The man's an asshole and he's not very nice to you. I don't like him at all."**_

_**She turned and looked at Jax with hope in her eyes. "Don't look at me Darlin," Jax said, "I'm not any happier about this than Chibs is. When Ope hears about this he will fucking lose his mind." "What do you have against him?" Peyton snapped, "He's been great to me and he's helped me get over my heartbreak, finally. I thought I would never get over Juice and now here I am, excited to be starting a new chapter in my life." **_

_**"Can you at least think about this?" Jax asked, clearly frustrated, "Don't jump into it. Just give it a few days, let it sink in. Maybe you will think differently in a few days." "You know what?" Peyton shot at them, "Forget it. I don't need you to be happy for me. I just know that I am happy with him and you guys, not even Opie, can stop me from marrying him."**_

_**Jax and Chibs watched as she stormed out of the clubhouse and then looked at each other. Clearly they had upset her, but they both felt the need to be honest with her about how they felt about the situation. Something about Justin didn't sit right with them and they had talked about it on multiple occasions. **_

_**"We lost her haven't we Jackie boy?" Chibs asked quietly, sounding defeated. "I think so, Chibs," Jax replied, "I have no idea what to do about this now."**_

Jax opened his eyes from his thoughts and he could feel the anger getting closer to the surface. What hadn't he fought harder for her, why hadn't they all fought harder to stop her from marrying him? He didn't have an answer then and he didn't have an answer now.

"Jax, are you ok?" Tara asked him, squeezing his hand. He squeezed her hand back and smiled at her, reassuring her that he was ok.

"Jax, Gemma, Bobby is not ok," Tara said quietly, barely able to get the words out, "He fell unconscious at the hotel and he hasn't woken up since. His pulse is weak and he has lost a lot of blood. They have tried to stop the bleeding as best as they can, but he is still bleeding a little bit. They are going to try a blood transfusion, but they aren't sure if it will work. The only thing we do now is wait, but I just want you both to know, that it doesn't look good."

Jax had hit his limit. The tears finally began to fall when he heard Tara say those words. His heart broke and he couldn't contain it anymore. Gemma was crying also. The three of them wrapped their arms around each other, none of them knew how to deal with this news.

A couple minutes later they pulled apart when another doctor peeked his head in. "Sorry to bother you Tara," he said, "But Juice woke up right before his surgery. He has one request. He has asked to see his son."


	14. Chapter 14

_*I hope you all enjoy this chapter. I struggled with this one as well. Thanks again for reading!_

**Chapter 14**

Jax and Tara both turned and stared at the doctor like he had a second head and Gemma's eyes bugged out of her head. "Excuse me?" Jax asked, "What the hell does that mean? Juice doesn't have a son." "Not according to this," the doctor said, handing him a piece of paper. With that the doctor left the room and left them to deal with this new development.

Jax read through the letter and he couldn't believe what he was reading. "Holy Shit!" Jax exclaimed, wincing as pain shot through his body, "Evander is Juice's son! Peyton kept it from him for 4 years!" "I'm sure she didn't keep it from him on purpose," Gemma replied, trying to defend Peyton. Jax turned and looked at his mother. "Did you know?" he asked her curiously. Gemma nodded her head. "I found out this morning Jax," Gemma replied, "I wasn't keeping anything from you. I actually wanted to talk to you about it. I wondered if you knew." "Does it look like I knew?" he questioned her, getting agitated, "Why the hell would she keep something like that from him?"

Both Gemma and Tara looked at Jax like he was an idiot. "What?" he asked loudly, lifting his hands up in defeat. "Look who she was married to," Tara stated incredulously, "I would keep it a secret too." "Jax, if she would have told Juice, could you imagine the danger Peyton would have been in?" Gemma asked her son, "She did the best she could and she told Juice when she could. If any of us know Peyton at all, this was not a secret she wanted to keep." Jax looked down at his hands and knew they were right. Peyton was protecting both her son and herself and she did the best she could despite the situation she was in.

"Well now how do we get the boys here?" Jax asked, "They can't stay in Calgary with their foster parents. They need to be here with us." "It's already taken care of baby," Gemma replied. Jax and Tara looked over at her. "I called Jenny, the Social Worker working on Peyton's case," Gemma said, "She also happens to be their foster mom. She is dealing with paper work today and going to court tomorrow and she will be flying the kids out the day after tomorrow." "How is she able to get the kids across the boarder and bring the children to complete strangers?" Tara asked curiously. "Peyton listed Dave and Joyce, me and Juice as guardians should anything happen to her," Gemma replied, "That girl is smarter than we give her credit for. So because my name is on the list, she is able to bring the kids to me." "What about Dave and Joyce?" Jax asked. "I talked to them about the situation last night," Gemma replied, "They think it is a good idea for all of us to be involved in their lives. They are ok with me having them live at my place, but they still want to be very much a part of the kids' lives."

Jax was tired and he was still trying to process everything that had happened in the last three days. He laid his head back on the pillow and closed his eyes for a moment. "Thanks mom, for taking care of all that," Jax said quietly a couple minutes later, "I've just been too busy trying to get Peyton back safe and sound. Look how well that turned out." Gemma didn't say anything, but just reached up and brushed his hair out of his face and kissed his forehead.

Jax watched as Gemma got up from the bed. "I'm going to sit out in the waiting room," she said quietly, "Let you get some rest. Maybe I'll go see Abel and Thomas." "They are at daycare Gem," Tara replied as she ran her hand through Jax's hair, "You can go up and see them. They would be happy to see you." Gemma smiled and kissed Tara on the cheek before she walked out of the room.

"Tara, this is my fault," Jax whispered, his voice cracking, "They are in there fighting for their lives because of me. We should've just kept Peyton here and dealt with Justin at the club." "Don't you dare Jax," Tara said sternly, "Don't put this on yourself. It's not your fault, you were doing what you thought was best to keep her protected. It was Justin's fault baby, not yours."

Jax looked at his wife and he leaned his forehead against hers, put his hands on her shoulders and let the tears fall. He loved his mother more than words could say, but he needed some time alone with his wife. Tara put a hand on his shoulder and ran her other hand through his blond hair. Tara loved him and he could really feel it at that moment and he wished he could just lay down with her and hold her and forget that the last three days even happened. He was just glad that he was home and back with his family.

"Can you bring the boys in this afternoon?" he asked quietly, "I need to sleep babe, but I would like to see my boys in a little bit." "You bet," she replied, smiling at him, "I'll bring them down to see you. They will be happy to see you." Tara leaned over and kissed him softly and helped him lay down in bed. Jax smiled at her as she walked out of the room.

* * *

><p>Tara was sitting at Peyton's bedside holding her hand. Peyton and her had been best friends for years and she was having a hard time comprehending everything that had happened to Peyton. Tara knew how strong her friend could be, but up until now, she had no idea how strong. Tara leaned down and pressed her lips to Peyton's frail hand and let the tears fall. She thought back to Peyton's wedding.<p>

**FLASHBACK**

_**Peyton opened the door right after Tara knocked. "Come in," Peyton said excitedly as she opened the door for Tara. Tara walked into the room and Juice was sitting on the arm of the couch. "What are you doing here?" Tara scolded playfully, "Shouldn't you be with the guys, getting ready to get married?" "Yeah yeah," Juice replied, standing up and kissing Tara on the cheek, "You look beautiful Tara."**_

_**Tara watched as Juice kissed Peyton on the cheek softly and then he quickly made his exit. **_

_**Tara looked at Peyton and the tears threatened to spill over. She always thought Peyton was beautiful, but today, she was more beautiful than she could have ever imagined. "Peyton, you are gorgeous," Tara said quietly, admiring her choice of dress, "I would say Juice is going to love it, but he's already seen you." "I'm so happy Tara. Juice couldn't wait to see me," Peyton said, her smile spreading from ear to ear, "I couldn't make him wait. He so perfect!." **_

_**Peyton had asked Tara to be her maid of honor the day after Juice had asked her and Tara just couldn't resist. It was an honor to be able to stand up at the front and watch her best friend get married.**_

_**"I'm so happy for you Peyton," Tara said, smiling at her, "I have never seen you look so happy. The moment Juice walked into the clubhouse I knew we would have to compete with him for your attention." "Tara, he is one of the best things that every happened to me," Peyton stated happily, "Now let's go get me married." **_

_**Tara grabbed Peyton's bouquet off the table and helped her straighten her veil. "I love you Peyton," Tara said, looking at her and reaching out to fix a strand of hair that was out of place, "You two are perfect together." Peyton hugged her tight and kissed her on the cheek, "I love you too."**_

Tara wiped the tears from her eyes and looked at Peyton. She didn't look like that now. She looked exhausted, she was battered and bruised. Truth be told, she looked like she had been drug over the coals one too many times. Tara reached up and ran her hand through Peyton's black hair just as the doctor walked in. "Tara, glad I found you," he said, holding the door open, "Bobby is awake. He is heavily sedated and he is asking for Jax." "Thank you," she replied quietly, "I'll go get Jax and take him to Bobby." He smiled at her before leaving the room.

Tara stood up and leaned down to kiss her friend on the forehead. "I'll be back soon sweetheart," she whispered.

* * *

><p>A little while later Tara pushed Jax into Bobby's room and helped him sit in a chair beside the bed. "I'll let you guys have some time," Tara said quietly, "I'll come check on you in a little while." She kissed him softly on the lips. "Thanks babe," he replied.<p>

Jax sat there and watched as Bobby slept. The bandage on the right side of his chest was starting to bleed through a little and he wished that he could stop the bleeding and take the pain away. Jax reached out and put his hand on Bobby's arm, he was so cold. Bobby opened his eyes and looked at Jax. Bobby struggled, but he managed a small smile at him.

"Hey Jackie," Bobby whispered, "How are you?" "I'm doing ok Bobby," Jax replied, "More importantly, how are you? I'm so sorry Bobby." "I'm not doing very good," he groaned as he tried to readjust himself. Jax tried to help him, but the pain he felt in his side prevented him from doing so. "Do you want me to get help?" Jax asked him. "No, I'm good, thanks," Bobby replied, looking over at Jax again, "I want you to do me a favor." Jax could feel the emotion bubbling up inside him and he really didn't want to lose his composure in front of Bobby. "Ok," Jax replied hesitantly, "What is it and this better not be your final request?" "I don't want you taking the blame for all of this," Bobby whispered, "This is not your fault. You only did what you thought was right and we wouldn't have expected anything less from you."

Jax had heard that so much today, but he couldn't help but think that everything that had happened could've been avoided.

"I'll try Bobby," Jax whispered, choking up slightly. "Jax, I don't have much left in me," Bobby said in a raspy voice, "So just in case something happens, I need you to take care of Peyton and her boys. Make sure she is always taken care of. Tell her I love her." "Don't do this Bobby," Jax stated as the tears began to fall from his eyes, "Don't you dare say your goodbyes yet. You have to pull through this." "I love you Jackson," Bobby stated, "You always had a good plan for this club. Please keep going in the right direction with things." "I love you too Bobby," Jax said quietly, "You should try to sleep. No more emotional stuff right now. You need to get all the rest that you can so that you can help me and Chibs run this club." Bobby nodded his head and smiled a sad smile. "Stay with me until I fall asleep?" Bobby asked. "You bet," Jax replied as he leaned back in his chair and holding Bobby's hand.

* * *

><p>Jax had dozed off when he felt someone's hands on his shoulders. Jax turned around and he saw Tara and Gemma standing behind him. Both of them had tears streaming down their faces. What the hell is going on, Jax asked himself. What did I miss?<p>

Jax's head turned, like a swivel, to look at Bobby. He looked like he was asleep, but something didn't seem right to him. He looked down at Bobby's limp hand in his, it was extremely cold and when he looked at the heart monitor he no longer saw the heart beat, but a flat line. His heart was breaking painfully and it felt like all the walls were crumbling down around him.

Tara and Gemma both wrapped their arms around Jax as the sobs began to escape from his throat. He held them both as his body shook. Bobby dying was like losing his father all over again. Bobby had been like a father to him and now he was gone too. Jax leaned his head down and pressed his forehead against Bobby's lifeless hand, letting the tears fall from his eyes and over his hand. "I love you Bobby," Jax cried into the blanket.

* * *

><p>Jax didn't move from his spot beside Bobby for what seemed like hours. He cried until he had no more tears to cry. Gemma didn't leave his side and her heart broke for the loss and for the pain her son was in. Tara had to leave to do her job, but she went back and forth to check up on them.<p>

The room was now dark and quiet except for Jax's occasional sob or sniffle. Tara came in and went to the other side of the bed. She leaned down and kissed Bobby on the forehead and placed her hand on his cheek. "You will be missed Bobby," she whispered, "We love you so much." She stood there for a couple minutes and then walked over to Jax. "Baby," Tara said quietly, "They need to take Bobby away now." Jax looked up at her, even her beauty and compassion could not take the pain away this time. He was lost.

Tara and Gemma helped him back into the wheel chair. "I'll take him back to his room Tara," Gemma said quietly, "You take the boys home and get them ready for bed. You can come back later to be with Jax and I'll take care of the boys." "Sounds good," Tara replied tiredly, "Thank you for everything Gemma. I couldn't do all this without you." Gemma smiled and kissed Tara on the cheek before wheeling her son down the hall to his room.

"Come on baby," Gemma said quietly, "Let's get you into bed." Jax wrapped his arm around Gemma's neck and groaned as she helped him into bed. Jax looked up at his mom and his eyes filled up with tears again. "Mom, please make the pain go away," Jax said quietly, looking up at her in desperation, "I just want Bobby back." "I know sweetheart," Gemma said as she held her son in her arms and let the tears fall silently down her face.


	15. Chapter 15

The room was hazy and the pain was intense when Peyton opened her eyes. She was unsure of where she was and what had happened, all the details were a blur to her. She tried to move her head and instantly regretted it. "Fuck," she mumbled to herself, "What the hell happened?" She winced in pain, she was sure her jaw was broken.

"Morning sunshine," she heard someone say to her left. She tried to look over but it wasn't happening, "Careful." "Can you move closer? So I can see you?" Peyton asked, pretty sure that Happy was beside her. She tried to smile when Happy leaned over her and smiled. "Glad to see you are awake sweetheart," Happy said gruffly but quietly. "What happened Hap? How long was I out?" Peyton asked difficultly, "It feels like my jaw is broken, but it obviously isn't if I am talking to you." "A lot of shit went down Peyton," Happy replied, his demeanor changing as he spoke, "Your jaw isn't broken, but it is definitely bruised badly. You have been unconscious for 4 days."

Peyton couldn't believe that she had been out that long. Happy sat down on the bed so that she could see him. She looked at him and he looked tired, more haggard than usual and even a little sad.

"You have a major concussion and there was a lot of swelling in your brain," Happy said quietly, reaching for her hand and holding it tightly, "There was no damage done where Justin stabbed you in the stomach. They stopped the bleeding and stitched you up. You have a few broken ribs and 25 stitches down the length of your arm."

It wasn't until Happy had mentioned everything to her that she realized how much pain she was really in. "Hap, can you get the nurse?" Peyton said quietly, closing her eyes and trying to shut out the pain. "You doing ok Peyton?" he asked, looking closely at her. Peyton shook her head in response. The pain in her head was excrutiating. Happy leaned in and kissed her on the forehead before he got up and left the room.

She laid her head back against the pillow and kept her eyes closed. She couldn't remember anything after Justin had smashed the bathroom door against her face. After that there was a black hole. She wished that Happy would tell her what was going on. Tell her what had gone down at the hotel. Was Juice ok? What was going to happen with her boys? There were so many questions she needed the answers to, but she was in so much pain she could barely concentrate.

She tried to turned her head slightly when she heard a knock on the door. "Come in," she called out, unable to move her head. "Hey beautiful girl," she heard Tara say from the doorway, "I'm so happy to see you awake." "Tara, I need something. The pain is horrendous," Peyton said quietly, the tears falling slowly down her face, "I can't move my head and I can't move my body to get comfortable." "I've got some morphine for you," Tara said quietly, wiping the tears away, "The pain will go away in no time."

Tara sat down on the bed so Peyton could see her and Peyton could see exhaustion and sadness in her eyes. Peyton held her hand open and Tara grabbed it. "I'm so sorry Peyton," Tara said quietly, "I wish there was something I could do to take this all away." Peyton tried to smile at her. "Tara I'm really tired," Peyton said, "I need to sleep." Tara nodded her head in agreement. Tara moved up so she was leaning against the back of the bed and Peyton laid her head against Tara's shoulder. She was glad that her best friend was there with her right now. Even though she didn't have the answers that she wanted or needed, she felt at peace and she felt comforted. She kept holding Tara's hand and closed her eyes.

* * *

><p>A couple hours later Peyton opened her eyes and Tara was still right where she was when Peyton fell asleep. Surprisingly, the pain had gone away and she was able to move herself a little bit so that she was sitting up a little more. Tara opened her eyes when she felt Peyton move and smiled at her. "How are you feeling Peyton?" she asked sleepily. "I'm feeling ok right now," Peyton replied, "The pain has subsided for now." "Well, you just let me know and I will make sure they get you some more morphine," Tara replied, "I should go for now. It's my day off, but I should get the kids homes and make dinner. I'll come see you again tomorrow." Tara hugged her gently and then hopped off the bed and walked out the door.<p>

Peyton leaned her head back against the pillow and closed her eyes. She wondered where everyone was and how everyone was. She just wanted to see her friends and family to be reassured that they were ok.

"Hey there beautiful," she heard come from the door. She turned her head carefully and watched as Jax wheeled himself across the room to her bedside. Chibs was standing behind him. "Hey," she said quietly, looking at him curiously, "Jax what happened?" Chibs seemed to be ok. She looked up at him and could see sadness in his eyes as well. She smiled as Chibs leaned down and kissed her on the cheek. "Hiya baby girl," he said quietly, "So glad to see you awake. We were worried about ya." "I'm ok," she said quietly, "Just uncomfortable."

Chibs sat down beside her and she leaned her head against his shoulder. "Jax?" she questioned quietly. He looked at her and reached for her hand. "I'm so glad you're ok Peyton," he said quietly, "They weren't sure how long it would be before you woke up." Peyton squeezed his hand gently. "What happened to you Jax?" she asked. "After you called Juice that night we all rushed over to the hotel," Jax began to explain, "Justin was expecting us and started shooting the second we kicked the door open. He shot me in the shoulder and in the stomach, on the side. They stitched me up and I'm ok. But Peyton, a lot of damage was done that night." She watched as Jax looked up at Chibs and Chibs nodded his head. "Ye got to tell her Jackie boy," he said.

Jax nodded his head and then slowly pushed himself out of his chair and slowly moved on to the bed so he was sitting beside her. She reached for him when he winced in pain. Once he got comfortable he smiled at her to reassure her that he was ok. "Tell me," she whispered. "Justin got Juice too. He stabbed him twice, once in the shoulder and once in the stomach," Jax explained, the anger clearly written on his face, "They had to go in and see what kind of damage was done to his stomach. There was a small repair they had to do to one of his organs and now they are waiting. That was three days ago and the bleeding has stopped. He has been in and out of consciousness and hasn't completely woken up yet. The doctors said it will take a little time."

Peyton just sat there with tears in her eyes. "He will be ok though?" she asked in a whisper. She reached for Chibs' hand and held it tightly. "He will be ok Peyton," Jax assured her. She could tell there was more and that Jax was struggling to tell her. "Justin is dead Peyton," he said, "He was about to hurt another one of us and before he got the chance Tig shot him in the head." She thought that when she heard this new she would be more upset about it, but all she felt was relief. She felt like a huge weight had been lifted off her shoulders. "Thank God," she breathed, "What is going to happen to Tig? Is he still in Arizona?" Jax shook his head. "They released him on $15,000.00 bail and they have let him come back to Charming," Jax replied, "Him and Nero got back yesterday afternoon. He has a sentencing hearing in a couple weeks, but they don't expect it to be a lengthy sentence." Peyton closed her eyes as the tears fell down her cheeks. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean for any of this to happen," she whispered. "Peyton, any of us would've killed that bastard if we had the chance," Jax replied, "Tig was the first one who had the guts to grab Justin's gun and shoot him with it."

It went eerily silent and she knew there was more to come. She looked at Jax and he had tears in his eyes. Jax reached into a pocket in his sweat pants and pulled out a picture and he handed it to her. She looked down, it was a picture of her and her Uncle Bobby at her wedding reception. She could feel her heart begin to race, why did he give her this picture?

"Jax, where did you get this?" she asked, holding the picture close to her heart. "I got it from Bobby's wallet," Jax said quietly, "He has had that picture in his wallet since the day you gave it to him 11 years ago. I caught him glancing at it every once in awhile. He loved you so much Peyton." "What do you mean loved?" she asked. "Peyton, Bobby got shot on the right side of his chest and it hit a major artery," Jax said in a pained tone, "They couldn't stop the bleeding. They tried so hard. Blood transfusions, surgery to repair the artery, but they just weren't successful."

Peyton looked up at Chibs and he was staring at a spot on the ceiling, obviously trying to fight the tears that were threatening to spill over. She looked down at the picture again and she realized that this was all that she had left of him. She could feel her heart break in her chest. Her head began to hurt again and it was getting hard for her to breath. "Uncle Bobby..." Peyton choked as she looked back at Jax. "I'm so sorry Peyton," Jax said quietly, "Bobby didn't make it."

Jax moved in closer and pulled Peyton gently into his arms as she began to crumble. He was all to familiar with the pain she was feeling. It had been three days and the emotions still crept up on him when he wasn't expecting them. Peyton held onto Jax like her life depended on it and pressed her face into his t-shirt. She wasn't crying, but he knew she was in shock and was still trying to take all the news in that she had been given. He gently ran his hand through her hair and tried to comfort her.

They sat there in each other's arms for a long time before the tears and sobs started to take over. Her whole body shook as the sobs escaped her. "It hurts Jax," Peyton cried, holding on to him, "I need more morphine. The pain is too much right now." Chibs carefully got up. "I'll take care of it," he replied as he walked to the door.

Jax helped Peyton lay back down in bed and she curled up into the fetal position and continued to cry. Jax was rubbing her back when Chibs walked in with a nurse. She inserted the needle into Peyton's IV and administered the morphine. "She should be ok in a few minutes," the nurse replied, "She should probably get some rest. And so should you Mr. Teller." "I don't want to leave her right now," Jax pleaded quietly. "It's alright Jackie boy," Chibs said, "I'll stay with Peyton if the nurse here doesn't have a problem taking you back to your room." "Thanks man," Jax said.

Peyton slowly rolled over and grabbed Jax's hand quickly and squeezed it. "I love you," she whispered, the tears still streaming down her face. "I love you too Darlin," he said before the nurse pushed him out of the room.

Chibs relaxed on the bed and Peyton curled up into a ball beside him and didn't say a word. He ran his hand through her hair and rubbed her back, trying to soothe her. Her body shook as she cried silently and Chibs knew he was in for a long evening.

* * *

><p>The paperwork and the plans to get Jenny and the boys out to California took a couple days longer than expected, but Gemma, Joyce and Dave were finally there at the airport waiting for them to arrive.<p>

Gemma hadn't said anything to Joyce and Dave about Evander being Juice's son and wasn't sure if they knew or not. "Joyce, Dave, I found something out a few days ago and I'm not sure if you know about it or not," Gemma said to them as they waited, "It's about Evander." "Is he ok?" Joyce asked with concern. "Oh, he is perfectly fine," Gemma replied, "Jenny revealed something to me that I found rather shocking." Joyce and Dave looked at Gemma with curiosity, they clearly didn't know.

"Evander isn't Justin's son," Gemma stated, "Juice and Peyton were together the night after Peyton and Justin got engaged. Evander is Juice's son." Joyce and Dave looked at each other. "You are absolutely sure about this?" Dave asked Gemma, "How did you find out?" "I asked Jenny who was named on the list of guardians for Evander and Darcy and Juice was one of the names listed. I asked why and she said he was Evander's biological father." Joyce and Dave sat there, at a loss for words. "I'm pretty sure Juice knows," Gemma continued, "But we will have to approach this situation with caution." "I can see the resemblance," Joyce said quietly with a smile on her face, "And I can understand why none of us knew about this until now."

Gemma was about to say something else when a small lady with two little boys walked up to her. "Are you Gemma?" she asked happily. "I am, and you must be Jenny," Gemma replied. She pulled Jenny into a hug. "It's so nice to finally meet you," Jenny said. "Did you have a good flight?" Gemma asked, "Did everything go ok?" "Everything went very well," Jenny replied, looking down at the boys holding her hands, "It was the boys' first flight. They enjoyed looking out the window."

Jenny knelt down in front of the boys. "Evander, Darcy, this is Gemma," Jenny said to them, "She is a good friend of your mommy's, you can call her aunt Gemma or just Gemma." Evander took a step towards Gemma and held out his little hand. Gemma looked down at him and reached for his hand. She was astonished by how much he looked like Juice. He had the same olive colored skin and the same big beautiful brown eyes. She crouched down so she was face to face with him. "Hi Evander, it so good to meet you sweetheart," she said quietly. "Nice to meet you aunt Gemma," Evander said shyly. She ran her hand through his short dark brown hair. She couldn't believe how much he looked like both his mommy and his daddy.

She felt a small tap on her shoulder. She turned and little Darcy wrapped his arms around her neck. She laughed quietly and hugged the sweet little boy back. "Hi there sweetheart," Gemma said, looking down at him after the hug ended, "How are you?" "Good," he whispered, "Where momma?" Gemma's heart sank, she had no idea what to tell these little guys. "Your momma is a little sick right now honey, but we will take you to see her soon," Gemma replied, "She will be very happy to see you two."

Gemma stood up and grabbed each of the boys hands and slowly walked them over to where Peyton's parents were standing. When Evander and Darcy realized it was their grandma and grandpa, they pulled away from Gemma and ran into their awaiting arms. Happy tears formed in her eyes as her and Jenny watched the scene unfold in front of them.

"Let's get the kids home," Gemma said to Jenny, "I'm sure you are all very hungry and tired." "The boys are very tired, but they are happy to be here," Jenny replied, "Thank you so much for taking them in so quickly." "It is no problem at all Jenny," Gemma said sincerely, "Me and Peyton's parents have made up bedrooms for them and we will alternate taking care of them until Peyton gets out of the hospital and finds a place for them live." "I'm glad to see that they seem pretty comfortable with you and their grandparents," Jenny pointed out, "I'll probably stay for a couple days and then make my way back home, but I'm sure the boys will adjust nicely here."

"So how is Peyton?" Jenny asked, breaking the long silence. "She finally woke up this morning," Gemma replied, "My son called to update me about an hour ago. She is in excrutiating pain. Apparently there isn't enough morphine in the world to take away the pain she is feeling. They also told her today that her Uncle Bobby passed away. So now not only is she suffering from physical pain, but she is suffering from major heartbreak as well. One of our guys, Chibs, he hasn't left her side for the last couple hours and she hasn't stopped crying." "I'm so sorry to hear about all the damage done to the club and to your family," Jenny said, "Justin caused so much devastation." "We are all coping as best we can," Gemma replied, "We just want Jax, Peyton and Juice to recover and move on from this. It will be a long road for all of us."

She silently hoped that her family could bounce back from the events from the last week. Losing Bobby had devastated them all. She hoped these children could bring the happiness they needed into all their lives.


	16. Chapter 16

_**Peyton slammed the car door and walked up to the entrance of her apartment. Chibs and Jax were being assholes and she was pissed at them for not being happy for her and Justin. She had wanted so badly to move on with her life and getting married to Justin was just the way to do it. She was in love with him and she was excited to start her new life. How could they not be happy for her?**_

_**She pulled the keys out of her purse to unlock the main door when she heard a motorcycle pull up to the curb. She turned and her heart beat sped up when Juice turned off the engine and got off his bike. He hung up his helmet on the handlebar and made his way towards her. It reminded her of the day when he first asked her out. **_

_**"Juice what are you doing here?" Peyton asked, feeling exasperated. She was sure that Jax and Chibs had filled Juice in and he was here to try and talk her out of it. "Jax told me and Opie the news. Ope went on a rampage," Juice replied, looking down at his hands, "You and Justin... getting married... congratulations." "Don't sound too happy Juice," Peyton shot at him, "Don't want you to exert yourself or anything." "Woah, chill out Peyton," Juice replied, putting up his hands in defence, "I just came over to talk. Is Justin here?" "No, he's out with his buddies tonight," Peyton replied, "Did you want to come up?" "Sure, if you don't mind," he said quietly. "No, come on up," she replied.**_

_**She let him into her apartment and he kicked off his shoes like he owned the place and sat down on the couch. "Can I get you a beer?" Peyton asked him. "No, I'm good thanks," Juice replied, "I just haven't talked to you in awhile. Figured you would be getting pretty busy with planning the wedding soon." "It's not going to be a big thing this time," Peyton said quietly, "Just a simple ceremony, probably with a Justice of the Peace and then a small family dinner. After that I will be moving to Calgary, Alberta with Justin." "You're leaving Charming?" Juice asked, his eyes getting wide, "Peyton, this is your home!" "It's where Justin is from Juice, that's where he wants to start our life together," Peyton replied, "I will follow him wherever he goes. I'm ok with starting a new life somewhere else. I'll always come home to visit."**_

_**Peyton walked into the kitchen and grabbed two beers out of the fridge. She popped the caps off and walked back into the living room. She handed one to Juice and their hands touched. It felt like an electrical current was flowing through her entire body. She looked at him and she could tell he was thinking the same thing.**_

_**"Why are you really here Juice?" Peyton asked, wanting him to get to the point. Juice put his beer on the table and then reached for hers and put hers down as well. He stood up and without wasting any time, he pushed her up against the wall beside the couch and pressed his lips to hers. Peyton's eyes opened wide and she put her hands on his shoulders to push him away. **_

_**"Juice, what are you doing?" she asked, feeling confused. "You asked me why I was really here," Juice replied huskily, "This is why I'm here. I know you're engaged and I know it's wrong and if you want me to stop I will." Peyton looked at him in complete and utter confusion. She knew she should not let this happen and that she should just ask him to leave. She loved Justin, but she knew that if Juice proclaimed his love and told her how much he needed her back in his life, she would end it with Justin. She would give up everything to be with Juice. No matter how much she tried to convince herself otherwise, she was still in love with Juice.**_

_**"Stay," she said quietly before pulling him against her and kissing him again. He reached up and undid the buttons on her button up shirt and then he pushed it off her shoulders and watched as it fell to the ground. He gave her his sexy smile before he leaned down and pressed his lips to her neck. He kissed the most sensitive parts of her neck before trailing his tongue along her collar bone. She put her hands on his waist and moaned quietly as he moved his way down and kissed the exposed skin above her bra line. He reached behind and undid her bra in one swift motion. **_

_**He moved back and admired her body. "You're so beautiful Peyton," he said quietly, "I should've never let you go." She smiled at him and her heart soared when she heard him say those words. "Then just for tonight," Peyton murmured, "Don't...don't let me go Juice."**_

_**He took a step towards her and then he undid her pants and slowly pushed them down to the ground. He reached for her hand and helped her step out of them. She looked at him with pure desire in her eyes and his eyes were filled with a passion and fire she hadn't seen for a long time. She reached for the bottom of his shirt and pulled it over his head. God, he was beautiful. She undid his pants and pushed them down and he kicked them off. He pushed her against the wall again and he massaged her breasts with his hands. A quiet moan escaped her lips before she pulled his face towards hers and kissed him passionately and intensely. He grabbed her hands in one of his and pinned them up against the wall above her head before leaning down and taking a nipple in his mouth. **__**"Ohh," she moaned, her eyes fluttering closed.**_

_**He moved on to the other one and received the same response. After a few moments he moved his lips back up her body to her lips and kissed her again with a desperation that both of them were feeling at that moment. They knew this would be the last time they would be together and they both wanted to make it count. He let her hands go and then reached down and wrapped her legs around his waist. She moaned against his mouth as he pressed himself against her, showing her how badly he wanted her. "Take me," she whimpered, "I need you inside me, now." She reached down and wrapped her hand around him and slowly helped to guide him inside. "Shit," he growled as he pushed himself inside her, "Jesus you feel good." He pressed her hard against the wall and she wrapped her arms around his neck and moved with him. She leaned her head against the wall and took him thrust for thrust. She cried out in ecstacy and held on to his shoulders as he continued to thrust into her. "Oh Juice," she moaned, wrapping her legs tighter around his waist and clenching herself tighter around him. He groaned into her neck and began thrust harder. She wrapped her arms tight around his neck and could feel the heat and sweat and she felt herself begin to shake. He held her tight and made one last thrust that sent them both over the edge. She cried out and Juice muffled her cry with his mouth and he groaned into her hair.**_

_**They stood there for a couple minutes in silence, trying to catch their breath and looking into each other's eyes. Peyton waited for him to say the words she hoped he would say, but they never came. She took that as a sign that that would be it for them and not to expect anything more.**_

* * *

><p>Peyton opened her eyes. The memory brought a smile to her face, there had been a whole lot of love making that night.<p>

It was a couple days later, and the pain had subsided a little. The heartbreak and the emotional pain was another story. The doctors had told her that morning that they wanted to keep her a few more days just for observation and then she was good to leave. Jax had been released the day he told her the news of Bobby and she was told yesterday that Juice had finally woken up, but was still heavily sedated. They said that she would be able to go and see him soon.

"Knock knock," Jax said, peeking his head in the room, "How you feeling Darlin?" She smiled as Jax approached the bed. The last couple days he had been there with her a lot, helping her deal with the loss of her uncle. He cried with her, he held her when she didn't want to be alone. There was a reason why he was one of her best friends and she appreciated him more than he knew. "The pain has dissipated a little," Peyton replied, "But I have been getting out of bed and walking around a bit at the doctors request." "That's great news," he exclaimed smiling at her as he ran a hand through his hair, "Tara said that the docs are thinking about releasing you in a couple days. That's a good sign." "I guess so," she said, looking down at her hands, "I don't know where I'm going to stay. I have to get my kids. God I miss them." "Once you are released you will be staying at Chibs' place until you can get back on your feet and find a place of your own," Jax said, "He was very quick to volunteer. I think he likes taking care of you." Peyton smiled at him. "As for you getting your kids," Jax replied, "My mom and Jenny have been working on a plan and it should be put into action soon. Once you have been out a couple days, you will be able to go and get them."

Peyton's heart felt like it was about to burst. She didn't deserve such amazing people in her life, but for some reason they all stuck around knowing that some day she would come back to them. Their love for her never faltered, not once.

The doctor walked into the room and walked up to her bed. "Sorry to interrupt," he said smiling at them both, "How are you feeling Peyton?" "I'm doing good right now," Peyton replied, "Just woke up from a good nap and the pain is staying away for now." "That's good to hear," he replied, "How do you feel about going to see Juice? Or is it too soon?" Peyton's eyes got wide and she looked from her doctor to Jax. "Really?" she asked, "I would love to go see him." The doctor turned to Jax. "Do you mind taking her to see him?" he asked him. "Not at all," Jax replied, smiling at the doctor. He nodded his thanks. "Peyton if the pain comes back just let me or a nurse know," he said, "We shouldn't be very far if you need one of us." "Sounds good," she replied.

After the doctor had left the room Jax grabbed the wheelchair from the corner of the room and wheeled it over to her bedside. He turned off the IV machine and unhooked the tube from her IV and then he carefully helped her out of bed. Her leg was still very badly broken and her ribs were still very tender. She wrapped her arm around his neck and gently stepped on the floor with her good leg and slowly twisted herself and sat down in the chair.

"Looks like you have that mastered," Jax said with a smile. Peyton smiled up at him in response. He propped her door open and pushed her out and down the hallway towards Juice's room. "You ready sweetheart?" he asked her. "Yes!" she exclaimed excitedly, clapping her hands against the arms of the wheelchair.

It was silent for a couple minutes as he slowly pushed her down the hallway and she had a moment to think about all the different ways this visit with Juice could possibly go. She was nervous, she was excited, she hoped he was happy to see her, but most of all she just hoped that he was doing alright.

Jax pressed his back against a door and then pulled her into the room. "Hey Juicy boy," he said quietly, "Look who came to visit?" He wheeled Peyton over to his bedside and Juice greeted her with as much of a smile as he could muster. Peyton wasn't sure what that meant and now she wasn't sure if coming to see him was such a great idea. Maybe it was still too soon for Juice.

She looked at Jax with a worried look on her face. Jax knelt down in front of her and brushed a piece of hair out of her face. "It's ok Peyton," he said quietly, "When I last talked to Juice he wanted to see you. The drugs are still in his system, but the sedation is beginning to wear off. He is happy to see you. Just push the call button if it gets too hard. I'll be in the waiting room if and when you need me." "Thank you," she replied. He kissed her on the cheek and pushed her closer to Juice's side and then quietly let himself out of the room.

"Hey Peyton," Juice whispered with a little smirk on his face. She turned her head back towards him and smiled at him. She reached up onto the bed and grabbed his hand. He was cold to the touch and it surprised her. "Hey Juice," she said, her voice cracking with emotion, "You're so cold. Do you feel cold? Do you want a blanket?" "I'm ok," he replied, "How are you doing?" "I'm good, getting better everyday," Peyton replied, "How about you?" "My stomach is still killing me," Juice responded, "But the doctors expect me to make a full recovery. I lost a lot of blood so I'm still feeling very weak. They have given me a couple blood transfusions and they expect that I should be out of here by the end of the week." "That's great news Juice," she exclaimed, "They are releasing me in a few days also."

They sat in silence and just looked at each other. She felt so relieved now that she was with him. She knew that he was going to be ok. Peyton could see something in his eyes, something different and she wanted so badly to know what was going on in his head. She was usually so good at reading him, but right now she didn't have a clue.

Juice reached over and grabbed a piece of paper off the table and then pushed the button on his bed to adjust so he was sitting up more. "I found this on the table in the bedroom the morning you left the hotel room," Juice said quietly, breaking the silence and handing her the piece of paper. Peyton reached out and took the paper from him and opened it. Her breathing began to quicken and her hands began to sweat. It was the letter that she had written to him. It was her plan B if she wasn't able to tell him herself that Evander was his son.

Well, she wanted to know what was going on in his head, and this was it. Shit, she thought to herself.

"Juice, I'm so sorry I never told you myself," Peyton said with tears in her eyes, "This letter was only if I couldn't say the words. After we were together that morning, I was planning on telling you everything when I got back from my walk." "Peyton, stop," Juice replied, holding his hand up, "I understand why you didn't tell me. I don't blame you for that. I'm sure that news like that would be pretty nerve wracking. I'm not mad at you baby girl." At this point the tears were streaming down her face. She couldn't believe that he wasn't angry at her for keeping it from him. "You aren't mad at me?" she questioned, "Why not? You missed out on four years of his life because I didn't tell you." "Justin would've killed you if he knew that Evander was mine," Juice replied with anger in his voice, "You keeping it a secret was the best thing you could've done for you and for our son. You are the strongest woman I know Peyton. I'm so sorry that you had to go through that." "It's over now Juice," Peyton whispered, "Justin is gone, for good. He can't get to me now. Me, Evander and Darcy are safe."

Peyton looked up at him and there was definitely something different in his eyes. "What's going on in that head of yours?" Peyton asked him curiously. "I can't believe I ever let you go," he replied, his eyes glassing over, "I thought that being married to you would hold me back and I didn't want to be held back. But for the eleven years that you and I have been apart, there has never been a time where I wasn't in love with you. And now I see that you never would have held me back, hell you would've been right there with me no matter what." "I always supported you, no matter what Juice," Peyton said quietly, "You were my life."

She put both hands on the arms of her wheelchair and slowly pushed herself up. "What are you doing?" he asked, sitting up, "Be careful Peyton." "I am," she stated, "Just give me a minute." She put her strong leg down and Juice reached his hand out to help her. She took his hand and she managed to stand up. She twisted herself and pushed herself up on the bed with her strong leg, but the pain in her ribs was horrendous. She was breathing hard and it had taken everything in her to not burst into tears.

After a couple minutes the pain had subsided and she turned so she was facing Juice. "I just wanted to be closer to you," she whispered. He smiled at her and wiped a couple stray tears off her cheek. "I'm glad you did," he replied. "Juice, I love you," Peyton whispered, "Always have, always will." He pulled her gently into his arms with her head resting against his chest. "I love you too baby girl," he replied, looking down into her eyes, "Forever."


	17. Chapter 17

Peyton had spent most of the afternoon with Juice just talking and cuddling. They cried over the news of Bobby together, but in general it just felt good to be near him again. Feel his arms around her and see him smile at her. It was all these things and more that she had missed about him.

Unfortunately, the pain got too bad for her and the doctor had to take her back to her room and give her some more morphine.

She was sitting in her wheel chair, pain free, watching TV when the door opened. She turned her head towards the door and in walked her mom, dad and Gemma. Peyton broke into a big smile. She had only seen her parents one other time since she had been in the hospital and she missed them so much.

"Hey," Peyton said happily, reaching up to hug her dad. He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her on the forehead. "How are you my little girl?" he asked sitting on a chair beside her, "Feeling better?" "I went and visited with Juice this afternoon," Peyton responded, "It was good to see him. But the pain got to be too much and they had to take me back to my room. I got more morphine and had a small nap. Now I'm feeling ok."

Peyton's mom sat on the other side of her and leaned over to kiss her on the cheek. "It's so good to see you up and out of bed sweetheart," Joyce said sweetly, "We are so glad that you have made such a great recovery." "Me too," Peyton replied, looking at her parents. They looked tired and sad, but also they looked happy. "How are you guys holding up? With the whole Bobby thing?" "The loss of Bobby has broken your father's heart, but he is trying to be as strong as he can," her mother replied, "I am saddened by the loss as well, but we can't imagine how you are feeling or what the impact will be to the club." "It has affected us deeply, we are so heartbroken," Peyton replied, holding her mother's hand, "But we will bounce back from this. It will take time, but we will all be ok."

Gemma smiled at what Peyton had said. "How are you Gem?" Peyton asked, looking over at her. "I'm good baby girl," Gemma replied, "I've got a little surprise for you. I figured you need a little happiness in your world right now." Peyton watched as Gemma stood up and walked out of the room. Seconds later Nero walked in with little Darcy in his arms and Gemma walked in with Evander trailing behind her, his small hand in hers. She looked at Gemma and then at Nero and then her parents and tears instantly sprang to her eyes. She put her hand to her mouth to try and stop the cries from escaping her mouth be she was just too happy to see her beautiful boys.

Nero brought Darcy to her and Darcy held his arms open as he was placed in Peyton's lap. Peyton wrapped her arms around her youngest son and cried against his shoulder. Darcy held onto her tightly and snuggled into her lap. Gemma lifted Evander up and placed him on the bed beside his mom and Peyton pulled him into her arms as well. She cried like a baby as her and her babies were reunited. Evander ran his hand through Peyton's hair that was hanging below her shoulders and then he snuggled into the crook of her arm. Peyton's heart was ready to burst it was so full and happy.

"Mommy owie," Darcy said quietly, running his finger very softly over the large cut on her own. He leaned over a bit and kissed her arm softly. "Yes sweetheart," Peyton said quietly, "Mommy has an owie. But mommy will be ok." "Where daddy?" Darcy asked. Peyton looked down at him and for the first time in a long time she was at a loss for words and didn't know how to answer this question. She looked at everyone in the room silently pleading for them to help her with this one.

Nero moved over to the bed and knelt down to Darcy's level. "Hey little guy," Nero said quietly, "Your daddy was involved in a bad accident and now he is up in heaven." "He coming back?" Darcy asked, looking sad. "No little guy," Nero said sadly, "He's not. He was too hurt and he couldn't recover from it." "Oh..." Darcy said before looking around the room and biting his lip. "But momma, I thought you said that daddy wasn't really our daddy?" Evander said loud enough to for everyone to hear, "You said that bad daddy would never compare to my real daddy."

Ah shit, Peyton thought to herself and she hung her head and closed her eyes. This was a very deep discussion for today and she was too tired to deal with it at the moment. "Sweetheart, I did say that," Peyton replied, holding her son's hand and looking him in the eyes, "But it isn't something mommy can talk about right now. I will explain everything to you later, I promise." Evander smiled at her and nodded his head, "Ok mommy."

Peyton looked around at her family and her eyes landed on Gemma. "Did you arrange for this to happen?" Peyton asked, smiling at her, "Is that why Evander and Darcy are here?" "Yes I did mamma," she replied, walking over to the bed and sitting down beside Peyton and the boys, "Tig called me before they left Portland to find you. He wanted to call Jenny himself, but he didn't have the time. He said that he wanted the boys to be here when they found you and brought you home. I told him I would take care of it." "How long have they been here?" Peyton asked before kissing Evander on the forehead, so happy and ecstatic to have them with her. "They got here with Jenny two days ago," Gemma responded, messing up Darcy's hair. He turned his head and looked up at her, grinning from ear to ear. "They have met the club and have gone to the clubhouse," Gemma said, "They played with Abel and Thomas and have spent some time with grandma and grandpa."

Peyton was amazed at the love that was flowing through her hospital room and she couldn't stop the tears from falling. "Thank you so much Gemma," Peyton said quietly, reaching over and squeezing Gemma's hand, "It means so much to me to have my boys here and to know that they are safe now." "It was the least I could do," Gemma replied, squeezing her hand back, "But maybe you should thank someone else because it wasn't my idea."

Gemma turned her head toward the door and Peyton followed her gaze. Peyton's heart tightened in her chest and her mind was swimming with emotions. Tig walked into the room. "Hi Uncle Tig!" Evander and Darcy cried out at the same time. Everyone laughed and Peyton beamed with happiness.

Gemma stood up and helped the kids off the bed. "Why don't we all go downstairs and grab some cookies and juice," Gemma asked excitedly, "Your mommy needs to talk to Uncle Tig." Peyton looked at Gemma with appreciation. "Bring them back in a little bit," Peyton said quietly, "If Juice is feeling ok I would like to take them to meet him." "No problem baby," Gemma replied, kissing her on the cheek quickly.

Tig hadn't moved from where he was standing when everyone was still in the room and Peyton looked over at him. He looked up at her and he had tears in his eyes. Peyton slowly pushed herself off the bed, grabbed her crutches and began making her way toward Tig. Once she reached him she leaned her crutches against the wall and fell into his arms. He held her close and buried his face in her hair. They held each other tight and cried. She had missed him so much and he was the one she was worried about the most.

Tig helped Peyton sit down in a chair and he sat down beside her. "Tiggy, how are you?" Peyton asked quietly, "I've been worried about you." "I'm as good as I can be considering the circumstances," Tig replied, "Peyton, I'm not sorry I killed that son of a bitch." "Tig, I'm not mad at you," Peyton replied, reaching for his hand, "When Jax told me that you killed Justin, I felt nothing but relief. I instantly felt safe and at peace." Tig looked up at her and she could see the relief spread across his face. "Tig, can you tell me what happened?" Peyton asked. "It's all kind of a blur Peyton," Tig replied, "And I'm not sure Jax wants me telling you the details." "Forget Jax," Peyton stated, "I want to know how it happened." "I was outside with Juice and Happy right after Justin had stabbed Juice," Tig began, looking at his hands, "I watched Justin run back into the hotel, but I had to make sure Juice was ok before I took off after him. By the time I got back into the room Chibs had knocked Justin out with his gun and him and Jax were sitting with Bobby. I was standing there and about 5 minutes later I noticed that Justin was coming to and then he reached for his gun. It was inches from his hand and before he even had a chance I reached down, grabbed the gun, looked down into his eyes, told him to stop hurting my family and then I shot him in the head."

Peyton's head spun with the information, but she was glad that she knew. "Thank you Tiggy," she said, looking up at him, "I'm just sorry that you will have to do time for it." "I'm not baby girl," Tig replied, 'Killing him is worth doing time for. He hurt you and those beautiful boys way too many times and then he thought he could try and slaughter my club. Doing 5 to 10 for saving what's important to me is worth it." "I love you Tig," Peyton said quietly as she reached for him. She pressed her forehead against his and smiled at him. He smiled back at her. "I love you too little girl."

* * *

><p>A little while later Peyton was sitting in her wheelchair talking with Tig and Chibs when Gemma walked in with the boys. "I just got Tara to check on Juice," Gemma stated, "He's feeling pretty good and would love to see you again. Tara didn't tell him that you would be bringing the boys to meet him." Peyton looked like she was about to be sick with nervousness. She looked at Chibs and Tig and then back at Gemma. "It'll be ok love," Chibs said, putting his hand on her shoulder and giving it a squeeze, "It has to happen sometime. No time like the present." "Thanks Chibs," Peyton said smiling sarcastically at him, "That was helpful." He grinned at her as she wheeled herself towards the door.<p>

Evander stood in front of Peyton. "Can I have a ride momma?" he asked her, smiling sweetly. "Of course you can baby," she replied. Gemma lifted Evander onto Peyton's lap. "How would you and Darcy like to go and meet your real daddy?" she asked him. His eyes got wide and he nodded his head shyly. Darcy stood on the foot holders of the wheelchair, careful not to step on Peyton's feet and looked at her. "Me come too?" he asked her, batting his beautiful blue eyes at her. "Of course sweetheart," Peyton replied, her heart melting, "He is your daddy too baby boy."

Peyton looked up at Gemma just as she was wiping a few tears away. "I'll wheel you guys to his room," she said quietly, "You four are going to make a beautiful family." "I hope he wants this," Peyton said hopefully, "I'm sure this wasn't part of his plan. Going from a single outlaw biker to being an outlaw biker with an old lady and two kids under the age of 5." "Baby, Juice wants this," Gemma replied, "I can see it in his eyes. He loves his club, but he is in love with you and the second he sees those kids, he will fall in love with them as well." "Ever since I met Juice, this is all I ever wanted Gemma," Peyton said with a small smile on her face, "I can't lose him again." "Everything will work out the way it is supposed to sweetheart," Gemma replied as she grabbed the handles of the chair and pushed them slowly down the hall.

Gemma stopped in front of Juice's room and knocked on the door. "Hey baby," she said pulling them into the room, "I've brought a visitor." She turned the wheelchair around and Peyton watched his reaction. "I'll leave you guys alone," Gemma said quietly before walking out of the room.

Juice sat up and swung his legs over the side of the bed and stood up. He slowly made his way over to the three of them and knelt down in front of them. "Juice, I would like you to meet Evander and Darcy," Peyton said, looking at Juice. "Evander, Darcy, this is Juice," Peyton said, looking at her kids. "Our real daddy?" Evander asked. Peyton was shocked when he said that and didn't know what to say. She hadn't really discussed the situation with Juice before hand and she wasn't sure if he was ready. She wasn't sure if he wanted an instant family.

Juice put his hand on Evander's shoulder and reached up with his other hand and messed up Darcy's hair. "Yeah buddy," Juice replied, looking at both Evander and Darcy, "I'm your real daddy. I'm so sorry I haven't been around. But if you want me to be, I will definitely be around in the future." "Yes," Evander said, "But promise to be a good daddy. Don't hurt me, Darcy or momma." Peyton watched as every emotion crossed across Juice's face. Anger, sadness, happiness, helplessness, regret, guilt, they were all there. "I promise," Juice said in almost a whispered, his voice cracking, "I will never hurt you, your brother or your momma. I promise to take care of you guys."

Darcy stepped off the wheelchair foot holders and Evander slowly slid off Peyton's lap and they both wrapped their arms around Juice. Juice wrapped his arms around both of them and looked up at Peyton with the biggest smile she had ever seen. Peyton's heart was filled with joy and the tears fell from her eyes. The moment was beautiful and perfect and she would cherish the moment forever.

"I know it's a lot to take in right now Juice," Peyton said, "But you don't have to make such a big decision right now. You can think about it for awhile." "What is there to think about?" he asked her as the boys continued to hang on him, "This is what I want, this is what I have always wanted. I screwed up once and I don't want to make the same mistake again. I want you, I want the kids. Peyton, I want the whole package. Please, give me one more chance to make things right." Peyton sniffed and unable to put her feelings into words she nodded her head and smiled.

Juice moved the kids to the side. "Just give me a second ok boys?" Juice asked them, "I have to talk to your momma." They nodded their heads and watched Juice's every move. Juice knelt in front of Peyton and wiped the tears from her face. "I love you and with you and your boys is where I belong Peyton," he said quietly. She wrapped her arms around his neck. "Good," Peyton stated, "Because I'm not letting you go this time." She leaned in and kissed him softly on the lips. "Ewww momma, that's gross," Evander exclaimed, interrupting the moment. Both Juice and Peyton laughed.

**_*Alright guys, I have more ideas to keep this going, but I want some input. Do I end it here? Or do I add 1 or 2 more chapters? If you want me to keep it going a little longer, please give me some ideas as well. Where would like it to go? Again, Thank you SO MUCH for reading!_**


	18. Chapter 18

_***So the general consensus is that everyone wants me to keep going. Which I am very glad for because I still have ideas swimming in my head. So I hope you enjoy!**_

**One and a half Months Later**

The last month and half since both her and Juice had been released from the hospital had flown by. Her and the kids were living with Chibs and that arrangement was really working out well. Evander and Darcy absolutely loved Uncle Chibs. The boys and Juice had been spending a lot of time together when Juice wasn't working and they were also spending a lot of time as a family. Peyton and Juice were also working on them. They had decided that they would start from the beginning again and start dating.

Peyton and Juice were still haunted by flashbacks and nightmares of that night, but they were slowly working through that. They were both seeing somebody to work through their feelings about that night and how they should go on with their lives. Peyton missed Bobby more than anything in the world and she would often find herself up at the cabin, one of Bobby's favorite spots, where they had buried him just to be alone with her thoughts and talk to Bobby.

Tig had gone to his sentencing hearing about four days after her and Juice were released from the hospital and they all went as a club and family to support him. The judge had been surprised that Justin, or James Berkley, had ever been released from the prison in Calgary at all. He had apologized for all the damage that had been done to their club and their family and was glad to see that those who had been hurt had made a full recovery physically. He expressed his sympathy for the emotional and mental damage that had been done. In the end the judge believed that Tig had acted in self defence to protect his family and his club. He gave Tig six years in Stockton with a chance of parole in 1 year. That was better than SAMCRO's lawyer had expected. Tig had been given an opportunity to get things in order and say goodbye to everyone and then he was taken away. They had been pretty good with granting him visitation and Peyton had been to see him once since he started his time.

Peyton hadn't found a job yet, but her doctor and her psychiatrist had decided that she should wait a few more months. She should just focus on living a calm life and learning how to be the mother that Evander and Darcy needed. She had loved this. She got to spend more time with her kids than she ever had before and she got to know them as they were now and not as they were before when they all lived with Justin.

Over the last week Peyton had found herself hunched over the toilet puking, regularly. Now here she was sitting on the toilet staring at an unused pregnancy test. She took a deep breath and took the disposable cup and peed into it. "It's now or never," she whispered to herself as she dipped the test into the cup. She held it there and waited the one minute like the instructions stated. That one minute felt like ten years to Peyton. Once she got to 60 she rested the test on some toilet paper and buried her head in her hands. She couldn't look, but she did know that if she was pregnant, it was guaranteed to be Juice's. Her and Justin hadn't had sex in over four months, so there was no way it was his.

Peyton stood up and pulled up her pants, but she still couldn't bring herself to look at the test. She sat on the side of the tub just as Chibs knocked on the door. "Love, how much longer ye gonna be?" he called through the door. "I'm done," Peyton said, not moving from her spot on the edge of the tub, "You can come in." The door opened and Chibs walked in. "What's wrong love?" he asked, looking over at her and then noticing the cup and the stick on the paper towel, "Oh... Should I leave?" "No, don't go," Peyton replied, looking up at him, "Please stay." "Have you looked yet?" he asked her. She kept looking at him and shook her head in response. She was nervous, terrified, excited and she felt like she could puke at any moment.

"Do you want me to..." he said, pointing towards the test. She nodded her head. Chibs reached for the test and looked down at it. He kept a straight face as he looked back at her after analyzing the test. He had always been very good and not letting on if news was good or bad and at this particular moment Peyton had hated that particular trait of his. "Damnit Chibs... what the hell is the verdict?" Peyton exploded. She could see a small smile pull at the corner of his lips and she instantly jumped up and into his arms. He held her and kissed her on the cheek before putting her back on the ground. She grabbed the test from him and looked at it. "Oh my god Chibs," Peyton exclaimed, feeling panicked all of a sudden, "What do I do?" "Well, I would start by telling him," Chibs replied, grinning at her. She glared at him. His smiled disappeared and he leaned against the counter. "You're worried that it might not be his?" Chibs inquired. "It has to be," Peyton said quietly, "I was with him two months ago, right before Justin kidnapped me from Portland. And I haven't been with Justin in like four months, so it can't be his." "Then what's the worry sweetheart?" Chibs asked, "Just tell him and if you want, get a paternity test done a little ways down the road. Don't worry about Juice's reaction, he will be happier than a pig in shit when he hears the news! I know I am!"

She smiled at his response, but then in a matter of seconds she had pushed him out of the way and was on her knees puking up her breakfast. Chibs moved over her and grabbed her hair so that it wouldn't get hit in the crossfire. "Thank you," she mumbled before another wave hit her. Chibs continued to hold her hair back and knelt down behind her and rubbed her back. He was so comforting and he treated her like his daughter and she loved that about him. After a few minutes Peyton wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and sat down on the floor, leaning against the tub.

"Sorry you had to witness that," Peyton said quietly, smiling at him, "But thank you for staying with me." "It's not a problem love," he replied, sitting beside her. They sat in silence and it was like she could read his mind. "I'm going to tell Juice today," Peyton said, looking over at him, "But I'm going to the hospital to talk to Tara first. I need to see when the soonest possible time for me to get a paternity test would be. I have a feeling that I'm right, but I would be at ease until I know for sure." "That's good sweetheart," he said, "You do what is best for you and what makes you comfortable. If you need anything else from me, you know where to find me." She smiled at him as he stood up and patted her on the shoulder. "Congratulations love," he said before walking out of the bathroom.

* * *

><p>A little while later, Peyton stepped off the elevator and walked towards Tara's office. As she turned the corner she walked straight into Jax. "Hey Darlin," he said, smiling at her, "Is everything ok?" His smile disappeared and he looked at her with concern. "Oh I'm fine," Peyton replied, smiling back at him to reassure him, "I just wanted to see if Tara wanted to grab lunch." "I'm sure she would love that," Jax replied, his smile returning, "I was just about to grab Thomas and Abel from daycare and take them over to Gemma's for the afternoon. Where are Evander and Darcy? Did you want me to take them over so they can play with the boys?" "Sure," Peyton replied, "They are at the clubhouse with Juice and Happy. I'm sure they wouldn't mind a little break. Thanks!" "It's my pleasure," he replied before leaning in and giving her a kiss on the cheek, "Enjoy your lunch."<p>

Peyton watched him walk away before she turned the corner and knocked on Tara's door. "Come in," she called. Peyton walked in and closed the door. "Peyton, hi!" Tara exclaimed happily, "Please tell me you have come here to take me out for lunch and rescue me from the all consuming chaos which is my job?" Peyton sat down in the chair across from Tara's desk and giggled. "Busy day?" Peyton asked her, raising an eyebrow. "Not at all," Tara replied sarcastically. "Yes, I'm taking you out for lunch," Peyton replied, "But first I need your help." "Sure, anything," Tara responded, "What's up?"

Peyton reached into her purse and pulled out a plastic baggie and threw it on Tara's desk. Tara reached for it and her eyes grew wider than Peyton had ever seen them. "Holy Shit!" Tara exclaimed excitedly, "Have you told him yet?" "No," Peyton replied, "I plan on telling him today. But I need to have a paternity test done." Tara's smile and excitement disappeared and she looked over at her friend. "What are the odds that this baby is Justin's?" Tara asked her. "It's been about 4 months since Justin and I were together and only two months since Juice and I were together," Peyton replied, "I'm pretty sure it's Juice's, but I still feel uneasy." "I completely understand," Tara replied, "I'm with you. It's better safe than sorry, even if the moment that baby pops out you will be able to tell whose it is." Tara smiled again and Peyton smiled back.

"So how soon can we do one?" Peyton asked her curiously. "Well, we will have to do an ultrasound and take some measurements and I will be able to tell you exactly how far along you are," Tara replied, "Do you still want it done if you are around the 8 week mark?" "I think so," Peyton replied, "I know it's a silly thing, but I won't feel at ease until it's done, even if I believe I know what the answer is going to be." "Ok, we'll get it done. But you know, that no matter what the result is, that baby growing inside you will be Juice's. You don't ever have to mention Justin to this baby," Tara replied, reaching across the desk for Peyton's hand. "I know and I'm sure Juice will feel the same way," Peyton replied, "That's not why I want it done. I want to get it done because Juice has a right to know if it's his or Justin's." Tara nodded her head in understanding. "I just love how much you two love each other, even after so much time has passed," Tara said quietly, "It's a beautiful love story."

Peyton smiled, but she didn't see her relationship with Juice the same way Tara did. Maybe the ending was beautiful, but there was too much hurt, too many tears, too many days spent apart, too much loneliness and way too much destruction. It took all of that to bring them back together and it was 11 years that she would much rather forget. But she could also understand how Tara would view this as beautiful. No matter what happened and what the odds were, love and family brought them back together.

"Do you have time to do a quick ultrasound before we go to lunch?" Tara asked, "I can check how far along you are, maybe hear the heartbeat and then we can set up a date to do the paternity test. You have to be about 4 months pregnant to have it done." "Actually, could we do it tomorrow?" Peyton asked her, "I would really like Juice to be with me for this. He hasn't experienced this part and I'm sure he would like to." "Of course," Tara replied, "I'll schedule you in. Are you free around 11:00 am?" "You bet," Peyton replied happily, "Thank you so much Tara, for everything." "Anything for you," Tara replied.


	19. Chapter 19

**_*So after watching last night's episode and watching Juice die, I will admit that the wind has slowly began leaking out of my sails (so to speak, hehe). But despite the fact that I felt like I should stop writing because of this, I will keep pushing on with it. I am so close to being done so I will keep writing it to make you fantastic people happy._**

Peyton was feeling exhausted and was feeling nauseous when she got home from lunch with Tara. She had spent a good chunk of time in the bathroom and then after that she couldn't manage to pull herself off the bathroom floor. She managed to get herself to her bedroom where she passed out for a few hours. She woke up with a smile on her face and she felt much better.

She looked over at her clock which read 4:30. She had an hour and a half before Juice came to pick her up for their special date. He had called her that morning really excited and promised her that it would be good. Peyton was so excited to see him and a little nervous to tell him the news.

Peyton pulled herself out of bed and walked over to her closet to pick out something to wear. She pulled on a pair of black skinny jeans, which surprisingly still fit her. "Not for long," she mumbled to herself. Then she pulled on a black camisole and a pink fitted button up shirt. She slipped on a pair of black wedge shoes and looked at her reflection in the mirror. She smiled at herself and then she rested her hands on her belly. Finally, a time when she was pregnant and she didn't fear for the baby's life. It was different when she had Evander. Justin wasn't the person that he was in the end when Evander was born. He was still reasonably nice, but when Darcy was born, she feared that Justin could kill him. Peyton was happy for the first time in 4 years.

"Hey beautiful," Juice called from down the hall. Peyton's hand dropped from her tummy and she turned her head toward the door. "In here baby," Peyton called back, surprised that he was already there. She pulled her hair out of the ponytail and let it fall loose and wavy down her back. She smiled as he walked into her room wearing his typical jeans, white shirt and kutte. His hair had been shaved again and he was just so incredibly sexy. He walked up to her and pulled her into his arms and she ran her hands over his Mohawk and over the tattoos on his head. He leaned in and kissed her deeply and passionately. The way he kissed her sent her into a whole different universe. Goosebumps appeared all over her skin and the hair stoop up on her arms and at the nape of her neck. Peyton loved getting lost in his kiss and she missed it.

Juice picked Peyton up and slowly carried her to the bed. Peyton wrapped her arms around his neck and moved her mouth from his and began kissing his neck. He laid her down on the bed and she pulled him down with her. "I've missed these moments with you baby girl," Juice whispered, "I'm never letting you go again." Peyton looked up at him and she could see the love and sincerity in his eyes which was no longer mixed with the guilt and regret she saw only weeks before. "I love you Juice," she said quietly, placing her hand on his cheek. She could see the raw emotion in his eyes and she could see his jaw clench to prevent himself from breaking down.

He leaned down and kissed her mouth softly and then he kissed her nose and lingered at her forehead. She could feel his warm breath on her skin and it only made her want him more. " I love you too," Juice whispered, "So much." With that, she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him down to her, losing herself in the moment.

* * *

><p>A little while later Peyton was pulling her clothes back on while Juice was in the washroom. She smiled to herself. It brought her back to when they were first together, it was like they had never been apart. She finished buttoning up her shirt and Juice still hadn't emerged.<p>

"Juice, are you ready to go?" Peyton asked, slowly making her way to the door of the bathroom. He didn't respond. "Baby," she called, knocking on the door. Still there was no response. She tried the doorknob and it was unlocked. She slowly opened the door and saw Juice sitting on the edge of the tub, the same way she was earlier that day, staring at a fly on the wall above the sink.

"Juice what's wrong?" Peyton asked from the doorway. He turned and looked up at her and then he pulled a long pink rectangular box out of his kutte. "Well, I don't think anything is wrong," he replied, holding up the box. She now recognized the box and mentally hit herself across the face. Shit, she thought to herself, she could've hid the pregnancy test box better. "When were you going to tell me?" he asked her with a small smile on his face. Peyton made her way over to the bathtub and knelt down in front of him. "I was going to tell you tonight," she replied quietly, reaching for his hands, "I just found out this morning. Actually I suspected it for over a week because I had been puking so much." He leaned in and softly kissed her on the lips.

"I don't want to sound like an asshole," Juice said after a moment, "But is the baby mine?" "I believe that it is," Peyton replied, looking down at their hands entwined together, "I don't think I am far enough along to be pregnant with Justin's baby. But I've already talked to Tara about it and she has booked us an appointment for tomorrow morning, if you can make it, to have the first ultrasound. To maybe hear the heartbeat and find out for sure how far along I am. Once I hit 16 weeks then I'm going to do a paternity test just to put my mind at ease. Are you happy Juice? Is this something you wanted?" "I will be there by your side tomorrow Peyton," Juice said in response, "Having a family with you is definitely something I want baby. I'm already so in love with our boys and I've only had a month or so with them." Our boys, she replayed over in her head, she was so happy to hear him say those words.

"I just... I know it wasn't part of the plan," Peyton replied, "But I want to do this with you." "Sometimes things don't go as planned baby girl," Juice said, standing up and pulling her into his arms, "And I'm ok with that. I want this and I'm excited to see our family grow no matter what the results are of the paternity test." She wrapped her arms around his waist and lifted her head up to look at him. He smiled at her and then leaned down and kissed her softly. "Now let's get out of here," Juice said quietly, "I've got a surprise of my own for you."

* * *

><p>They had taken Peyton's truck because Juice had refused to take her on the bike because of her "condition". It annoyed her a little, but it still meant a lot that he was so concerned about her and wanted to protect her and the baby. Juice drove them about 20 minutes outside of Charming and pulled into a little suburban area, it looked like a newer residential area. Peyton had no idea that this area even existed. A lot of things had changed in the 5 years that she had been gone.<p>

Juice pulled up to a small two story house. Peyton got out of the truck and looked up at the house. It was absolutely beautiful. It was white and there was a small wrap around porch and there was a small back yard with a big play area set up in it. She turned around and looked at Juice. "What is this?" she asked him curiously. "Well, it's a house for starters," he responded, giving her a little smirk. She smacked his shoulder and rolled her eyes at him. "But it is also our home," Juice continued, turning serious, "If you want to take that next step with me." She stared at him and then stared back at the house. "This was theirs?" she asked herself silently. "Juice, it's beautiful," Peyton exclaimed excitedly, "How did you get this?" "I had some money put away," Juice replied, "I knew I wanted to buy my own place at some point and then you came back into my life and I wanted to find something that you would like." "It's amazing… it's perfect for our little family," Peyton said quietly, reaching for Juice's hand, "I would love to take the next step with you."

He smiled at her response and then led her to the entrance. "Come on, I want to show you the inside," Juice said excitedly. He opened the door and she was amazed. It looked like the whole place had been decorated and furnished. She walked into a small foyer and to the left was the living room and the kitchen was at the back of the house. To the right was a hallway which led to a den and one bedroom. She went into the bedroom, which was clearly theirs and it was gorgeous. Painted in all dark colors, just the way she had wanted her home to be. There was a king sized bed and all the bedroom furniture and there was a full ensuite. It was perfect.

"Juice this is amazing," she exclaimed, "Who did all this?" "Lyla and some of the other girls from Diosa helped me out with this," Juice replied, "Nero said the girls and the furniture would be his gift to us. Lyla really wanted to help and she did most of the shopping. Wait till you see upstairs." She didn't even have a chance to respond before Juice grabbed her hand and pulled her up the stairs like an excited 5 year old wanting to show her all of his toys. There was a bathroom and three bedrooms upstairs. Two of the bedrooms were decorated exactly how Evander and Darcy would like them, with enough toys and games to keep them occupied for a lifetime. The last bedroom was empty.

"Why is the last bedroom empty?" Peyton asked him. "Well, I was hoping that you would want to try for another one," Juice replied, laughing out loud, "So I guess I don't need to ask." Peyton laughed with him and then fell into his arms. "Juice, it's all so wonderful," Peyton said, "Everything is perfect and I am so happy." "Me too baby," Juice replied, "Me too."

Juice pulled away from her and began pacing the room, looking out the window and rubbing his hands on his jeans. "You ok?" Peyton asked him, "You seem nervous." "I'm ok," he replied, turning to look at her again. He moved towards her and then without any warning he lowered himself down to one knee. Peyton's eyes got wide and her heart began to pound in her chest. "I would like another chance to be the man and the husband you need me to be," Juice said quietly, "Will you marry me again? I promise you that I will do it right this time."

Peyton wanted this, but she was not expecting it so soon. But he also didn't have to ask her twice. "Yes," she whispered, "Of course I'll marry you Juice."


	20. Chapter 20

About ten minutes after Peyton had said yes for the second time to the love of her life, the doorbell rang. She looked up at Juice and he smiled at her. "Our first guest," he exclaimed happily, "You should go answer it." Peyton raised her eyebrow at him and then took off down the hall and down the stairs.

She opened the front door and she was surprised for the third time that day. "Surprise!" everyone yelled when she opened the door. "What the hell?" Peyton said, looking in astonishment at all of her friends and family that were standing in her front yard. "Congratulations beautiful," Lyla said, standing at the front of the group, "I'm so happy for you and Juice. You guys deserve this so much." Peyton pulled her friend into her arms and hugged her tightly. "Lyla, thank you so much for helping out with decorating the house," Peyton said happily, "It's absolutely beautiful. It's the perfect place to start a home and raise a family." Lyla beamed at her and then let herself into the house.

She looked out and saw everyone important to her. Her mom and dad, Jax and Tara and Abel and Thomas, Chibs, Happy, Gemma, Nero, Rat, Quinn. She looked around and Chucky popped out of nowhere with Evander and Darcy hanging all over him. She laughed. "Come on in everybody," Peyton said, "Come see our new home."

Peyton stood outside as everyone filed inside and she stopped Nero before he went into the house. "Nero," Peyton said, "Thank you, for everything. For helping the club out when Justin kidnapped me. For the wonderful gift of helping us decorate our home. And really for just being a great addition to our family. I love you and I'm so thankful for you." "Peyton, even when you weren't here, you were one of the most talked about and cared about people," Nero said, looking down at her, "I felt like I knew you before I ever met you. I saw how important you were to the club and to Gemma and especially to Juice and I wanted to do my part to help get you back and I wanted to help you in whatever way I could. Gemma adores you and I can see why." He pulled Peyton into his arms and hugged her tight. She held onto him and buried her face in his sweater, praying that the tears would escape from her eyes.

Nero pulled away from her and looked down into her eyes. "Look, I know things have been rough for you over the last few years," Nero said quietly, resting his hands on her shoulder and smiling at her, "But look where you are now and look at everything you have. You have a few war wounds but I'd say you came out on top." Peyton laughed. "Thanks Nero," Peyton replied, "At this moment I really couldn't be any happier. I have everything I want and everything I need." He put his arm around her and led her into the house. "Let's join the party," Nero said happily.

Peyton walked into the kitchen where everyone was and noticed Juice and Jax outside with the boys. She stood at the window and watched as Darcy and Evander ran around on the grass and then tackled Juice to the ground. The boys looked so happy and so did Juice and this in turn, made Peyton happier than she ever thought she could be.

"It's a beautiful sight," Tara said quietly, standing behind Peyton. Peyton turned and looked at her best friend with a big smile on her face. "I'm so glad it's working out Tara," Peyton said, "Those boys adore him and he is madly in love with them." "Did you tell him?" Tara asked quietly so no one would overhear them. Peyton nodded her head. "It didn't go how I wanted it to," Peyton replied, laughing a little, "He found the test in the garbage in the bathroom. He was in shock when he saw it, but he was crazy happy once we talked about it." "That's so great!" Tara exclaimed excitedly, "I'm so glad."

Peyton saw Lyla across the room talking with Nero and Happy and Peyton began to make her way over to her. "Come with me," Peyton called to Tara. Tara quickly followed behind Peyton as she walked up to the three of them. "You guys don't mind if I steal Lyla away from you for a moment do you?" Peyton asked. They shook their heads in response and Peyton grabbed Lyla's hand and pulled her down the hallway and up the stairs. "What's going on?" Lyla asked with a smile on her face. She looked at Peyton and then at Tara, waiting as patiently as she could for an answer. "Guess we are both going to have to wait and see," Tara replied, unsure of what was going on. Peyton walked into the unfurnished bedroom. let go of Lyla's hand and stood in the middle of the room. Both Tara and Lyla looked at her expectantly.

"Ly, I want you to help me with something," Peyton said, making eye contact with Tara. Tara smiled at her, realizing what she was doing. "Of course, anything," Lyla replied, "What is it?" "I want the three of us to go shopping in the next little while," Peyton said, sounding excited. "For wedding dresses?" Lyla asked. "No... well yes... but that's not what I'm talking about right now," Peyton replied. "Well what the hell girl," Lyla exclaimed, "Clearly you both know what's going on here, so please... let me in on the secret." "I want you...both of you... to help me turn this room into a beautiful nursery," Peyton said, waiting and watching for Lyla's reaction. "A nursery..." Lyla said and stopped, "Are you... holy shit! Oh my God! You're pregnant?!" Peyton nodded in response. Lyla jumped up and down in excitement and then ran over to her friend and hugged her tightly. "Oh my God Peyton," Lyla squealed, "I'm so excited for you!" "Thanks," Peyton replied, hugging her back, "So does that mean you will help me?" "Of course it does!" Lyla exclaimed, "I'm so happy. You deserve this so much! Look at you, finding out your pregnant and getting engaged all in one day!" The three of them hugged each other and giggled like school girls.

* * *

><p>They had talked for awhile longer and then decided to go downstairs and join in the fun. It sounded like it had already gotten pretty rowdy down there.<p>

Just as Peyton, Lyla and Tara walked back into the kitchen, Juice walked in from outside with Darcy attached to his leg and Evander hanging from his neck. "Peyton help," Juice said out of breath but still laughing and smiling, "They're attacking me!" "Sorry," Peyton replied, kissing Juice quickly on the lips, "This is a problem only you can get yourself out of." "Thanks babe," Juice replied before he made his way, although difficultly, to the living room where he dropped Evander on the couch and sank down to the ground beside Darcy and they all burst into a fit of giggles. Her heart clenched inside her chest as she watched. That was a sound that she never heard when she was with Justin.

Everyone came out of the kitchen and stood around Peyton and Juice and the boys eventually joined the circle. "So when's the big day?" Jax asked. "Well," Peyton began, "In the next year or so. We haven't picked a day yet and we would like to wait until our new bundle of joy makes its appearance before we get married." The whole room went silent and everyone stared at her and then at Juice. "Hell Yes!" Jax cried out lifting his beer in the air. Everyone cheered and lifted their drinks up in celebration of the exciting news.

Evander looked up at Juice with a big smile on his face. "Me and Darcy going to be big brothers?" he asked. "You bet buddy," Juice said, picking his son up in his arms, "Are you ok with that?" "Yay!" Evander cheered, throwing his arms up in the air. Darcy jumped up and down and cheered in excitement too. "God those kids are adorable," Gemma said, not talking to anyone in particular, "You did good momma." Peyton smiled over at Gemma.

Everyone lined up to congratulate her and Juice on their exciting news. Once everyone had talked to her, Peyton's heart sank. She realized that two of the most important people in her life were not going to be there for these events. She quietly excused herself and walked down the hallway of her beautiful new home and walked into the bedroom. She sat down on the bed and put her head in her hands. Peyton missed Bobby and Opie so much and she wished so badly that she could bring them back. She wanted them here with her and her family and the club. The tears escaped and fell over her hands as the pain of losing her uncle and her best friend pierced her heart. She wished that she had listened or at least considered what Opie had asked of her the last time they spoke.

**FLASHBACK**

**_Peyton opened her apartment door to find a big burley bundled of emotions standing in front of her. Opie's eyes were red and glassed over and he looked like he was a mixture of sad and angry and maybe a little bit desperate. _**

**_"Opie, are you drunk?" Peyton asked him, looking up at him. "No," he grumbled at her as he pushed his way into the house, "I'm angry and sad and I wish that I could talk you out of this." Peyton now understood why he was there. It was two days before her wedding and her and Ope had argued about the wedding and her decision for months now. _**

**_Peyton followed him into the living and sat down on the couch beside him. He looked at her with tears in his eyes. "Baby girl, I have a bad feeling about this," Opie said quietly, "I know you want to be happy and I so want that for you, but you aren't going to find happiness with douche bag Justin." "Ope, he hasn't done anything wrong," Peyton replied, "I don't see what you see. I see a great guy who wants to give me a good life. Ope, I need to move on. I have constant reminders that haunt me and follow me around of what I had in my old life. I can never get that back and I want to start over." "Something just doesn't feel right about him," Opie stated, "I think he's bad news."_**

**_Peyton reached over and grabbed her best friend's hand. She could tell that he was busted up about this, but there was nothing he could say to talk her out of her decision._**

**_"Peyton, please rethink this," Opie pleaded with her, "I lost Donna and I can never get her back and I don't want to lose you too." "Opie, you aren't going to lose me," Peyton replied, "I'm just getting married and moving away. We are still going to see each other on holidays and stuff. I could never leave Charming for good. I will always come back." She pulled him into her small arms to reassure him that everything would be ok. "I love you Peyton," Opie said quietly, looking up at her, "I just don't want anything to happen to you. I want you to keep you safe and protected." "I know Ope," Peyton said, "But I'm not a little girl anymore. You can't protect me forever. Besides, there might be a new love in your life." "Lyla?" Opie questioned, shrugging his shoulders, "We're just friends Peyton." Peyton smiled at him as if to say "yeah right" and he pulled her into his arms. _**

**_"Everything will be alright Opie," Peyton whispered, "I promise." "If you say so," Opie replied._**

Peyton laid down on the bed and curled up into a ball and let the tears run freely down her face. She couldn't believe how right Opie had been and how incredibly wrong she had been.

"Knock knock," Lyla said quietly as she let herself into the bedroom. Peyton pushed herself up so she was sitting and wiped the tears from her face. "Hey Ly," Peyton whispered. "What's wrong?" Lyla asked, looking concerned. "I was out there and everyone was congratulating us and it hit me that Bobby and Opie were really gone," Peyton replied, "They aren't here to be a part of it." "They aren't here with us physically," Lyla replied, "but I believe that they are watching from above Peyton." Peyton nodded and smiled slightly at the thought and Lyla gently rubbed her back. "But that's not really what's going on here is it?" Lyla asked, "What's really eating at you?" Peyton looked at Lyla, amazed that she could read her like a book. "I was just remembering my last conversation with Opie," Peyton replied, "He tried so hard to convince me that marrying Justin was a really bad idea. He asked me to rethink it and I wouldn't listen. I wanted a new life so badly that I wouldn't even consider my best friend's plea to rethink my decision. He showed up at my apartment and cried his eyes out begging me to not go through with the wedding and I ignored him."

Lyla sat there in silence for a couple minutes, looking down at her hands. "Peyton, just know that he wasn't mad at you," Lyla said quietly, "He came and saw me that night after he left your apartment and we had a long chat about how he was feeling. In the end, he understood why you had to do it. He was pissed that it was such a private wedding and that only your family was invited, but no matter what he never stopped caring. Up until his dying day, he loved you and hoped for nothing but the best for you." Peyton smiled at her and then leaned her head on Lyla's should. "Thank you Ly," Peyton said quietly, "For being here. For being a good friend." "You're welcome," Lyla replied. They sat there together in silence, feeling at peace and thinking about Opie.


	21. Chapter 21

_***So sorry this one took so long to put out. Because of the Christmas season, I am just getting busier. I hope to update some more this weekend and maybe throughout the week. Hopefully we can finish this story before the New Year!**_

Peyton woke up in a panic. She sat up in bed, tears streaming down her face and she was drenched in a cold sweat and she was shaking. She looked around the room and then looked over and saw that her three boys were all cuddled up together beside her. Evander was curled up and pressed against juice's chest and Darcy was pressed up against Juice's back with his little arm wrapped around his waist.

She jumped slightly when she felt Juice touch her arm. "Hey," Juice said, realizing that she was out of sorts, "What's wrong baby girl?" He sat up, careful not to wake up Darcy and put his hand on her back. "I just had a horrible nightmare," Peyton replied quietly, "The same one. It's been awhile since I've had one, but it still felt so real." Juice leaned over Darcy and kissed her softly and then wiped the tears from her cheeks. "I'm sorry that night is still haunting you," he said quietly, "Do you have another appointment with your psych set up?" "Yeah," Peyton replied, "I was thinking yesterday about cancelling it because I was doing so well. But now, I guess I'll go. It's on Friday." "It's probably a good idea Peyton," he responded, "I can go with you if you want." "Thanks Juice," she said quietly, smiling at him, "I would like that."

Juice moved Darcy on the other side of him and then he laid down and Peyton laid down beside him. He pulled her tight against his body and kissed her neck softly. "I love you baby girl," Juice said quietly, "I love our boys and I love our new life that we are starting together. You and the kids are the most important part of my life." "We love you too," Peyton said quietly. They held each other and they fell asleep.

* * *

><p>A couple hours later Juice was putting Darcy into his car seat in the back of the truck and Peyton was in the house helping Evander put on his shoes. "Where going Daddy?" Darcy asked, looking up at him with his big blue eyes. "We're going to see Aunty Tara buddy," Juice replied, buckling up the seatbelt, "Mommy has a doctor's appointment and we are going with her." "Is momma ok?" Darcy asked. "You bet," Juice replied, "We are going to see your new baby brother or sister today. Aunty Tara has a special camera that can show you the baby before it comes out of mommy's tummy." A big smile broke out on Darcy's face.<p>

Once Juice got Darcy buckled in, he watched as Evander slowly made his way towards the truck. "Come on buddy," Juice said, smiling at Evander once he got to the truck, "Let's get you buckled in." "Momma said she would be a minute," Evander said quietly, "I don't think she is feeling well." Juice looked at Evander for a minute after he buckled him in. "You two stay here," Juice said, "Don't get out." They both nodded in unison and then Juice closed the doors to the truck and locked them.

He ran into the house and into their bedroom. Sure enough Peyton was kneeling on the floor in front of the toilet. Juice reached for her hair and pulled it back behind her and rubbed her back. "What can I do?" he asked her quietly. "What you're doing is good," Peyton mumbled, looking up at him before another wave hit her. Once she was finished she sat back on her knees and wiped her mouth with a Kleenex. "Thank you," she said quietly. "It's no problem," Juice replied, sitting on the edge of the tub, "It's the least I can do for causing you to go through this. Have you always had morning sickness this bad?" Peyton shook her head at him. "I was lucky with both of them," Peyton stated, "I experienced a little bit in weeks 8 to 12 with both of them, but nothing like this. I'm afraid to leave the bathroom."

Juice stood up. "Should I go get the boys out of the truck?" he asked her, "Or do you want to chance it?" "I think I'm ok," Peyton replied holding her hand out to him. He reached out and helped her up and she moved in and wrapped her arms around his waist. He held her and kissed her on the forehead. "You are so beautiful," Juice whispered against her cheek.

She smiled up at him and they walked out to the truck together. "Let's go meet our baby," Peyton said when she got in the truck, "What do you say boys?" She turned and smiled at Darcy and Evander. "Yeah!" they both cried out together. "I hope we have a little sister," Evander said, beaming at his mom, "Too many boys." Juice and Peyton looked at each other and laughed.

* * *

><p>A little while later Peyton was laying on a bed in a dimly lit room. Tara was on one side and Juice and the boys were standing on the other side.<p>

"Ok, this will be cold Peyton," Tara said quietly. She placed the ultrasound wand on Peyton's stomach and slowly started moving it around. She placed the wand on different parts of her stomach and took many pictures. "You guys see that flickering over here?" Tara said, pointing up at the screen. The boys and Juice nodded. "That is a heart beat," Tara replied, smiling over at Peyton, "The only thing is... can someone tell me what's wrong with this picture?" Tara pointed at the screen. Juice and Peyton both looked at the screen and then Juice's eyes grew wide. "There are two flickering spots on the screen," Juice whispered, reaching for Peyton's hand.

"Peyton, has your morning sickness been about ten times worse than it was with boys?" Tara asked. Peyton nodded her head in response. She knew exactly where Tara was going with this and she felt like she was about to puke right there on the floor. "I can explain that," Tara said, beaming at her and Juice, "You are going to be the proud parents of two beautiful babies instead of one!" "Jesus Christ," Juice mumbled, laughing quietly and looking at Peyton, "What are the chances?" "Oh my god," Peyton said, shaking her head in disbelief and looking at her boys, "Did you hear that guys?" "We get two babies?" Darcy squealed, jumping up and down and clapping his hands. "Yes you do!" Peyton replied happily.

She looked up at Tara and then over at Juice, whose hand she was still holding. "Can we do this?" Peyton questioned. "If we can overcome the crap we just went through," Juice stated, "Then we can do this. Holy shit, this is exciting!" Tara and Peyton both laughed at Juice's happiness. Juice then leaned down and kissed Peyton on the forehead. "We got this," he whispered. "Yeah," Peyton replied, "We do."

After a couple minutes and a bunch more pictures taken, Tara lifted her head from the keyboard and looked at them. "You are approximately 8.5 weeks pregnant," Tara said, "Does that sound about right?" "I did the calculations last night before I fell asleep," Peyton replied, "And my last period was 8.5 weeks ago and Juice and I were together 8 weeks ago." "Do you still want to do the paternity test?" Tara asked her and Juice, "I'd say that's pretty accurate, but I understand if you still want to go ahead with it." Peyton felt relieved and she felt 100% sure that Juice was the father of these babies, but she looked up at him anyways with a questioning look on her face. "I don't think we have to worry about it," Juice replied, "Those calculations seem pretty accurate. I'm sure we will be able to tell once they get here anyways." "I think it's ok," Peyton replied, "No matter what, Juice will always be their father."

* * *

><p>Juice, Peyton and the boys walked down the hall of the hospital about 15 minutes later and Chibs was sitting in the waiting room. "Is everything ok?" he asked as soon as he saw the four of them walk towards him. "Of course," Peyton replied, smiling at him and giving him a hug, "What brings you here?" "I just wanted to make sure everything was good," Chibs replied. "Were you worried?" Juice joked. "Aye," he replied before he bent down and held his fist out for Darcy, "Knock it little guy." Darcy knocked fists with Chibs and then ran around and giggled.<p>

"I also came to say that I'm heading out to visit Tig," Chibs stated, "Did you want me to tell him anything?" Peyton looked at Juice before looking back at Chibs. "Actually, would you mind if I came with you?" Peyton asked him, "I mean, if Juice doesn't mind taking the kids for a few hours." "I don't mind," Juice replied, "I'll take them out for lunch. Maybe Jax and the boys might want to come." "I don't mind at all if you came sweetheart," Chibs replied. "Good, because I want to give him something," Peyton said, "Speaking of which, these are for you Uncle Chibsy." Chibs reached out and took two small pieces of paper from her hand. He looked at them and he glanced over at Juice and back at Peyton. "Why are there two of these?" he asked, sounding confused as he waved the sonogram pictures in front of Peyton's face. "We're having twins Chibs," Peyton replied. "Jesus Christ!" he exclaimed, breaking into a huge smile, "Congratulations you two!" Chibs hugged Juice tightly and then pulled Peyton into his arms. Peyton beamed with happiness as she hugged him back.

"Alright Juicey boy," Chibs said, "You can handle the kids for a few hours? We've gotta head out." "You bet," Juice replied, "Tell Tig I said hey."

Juice pulled Peyton into his arms and kissed her softly. "I love you beautiful," he whispered, "We'll see you when you get home." She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him deeply. She knew she said it and thought it so often, but she couldn't remember a time in the last 5 years that she had felt so happy. "I love you too," she replied. She knelt down in front of Evander and Darcy. "Mommy is going to visit Uncle Tig with Uncle Chibs," Peyton said to them, "Will you be good for daddy while I'm gone?" They smiled their biggest smiles and nodded their heads. "Good," she said. She kissed them both and then followed Chibs out of the hospital.

* * *

><p>About an hour later Chibs pulled in front of Stockton Prison and they got out of her truck. "Would've been so much better if we could've ridden here," Chibs mumbled as he closed the truck door, "But nooo, you had to go and get pregnant." Peyton rolled her eyes at him. "You could've taken me on your bike," Peyton retorted, knowing full well that he would never take her on his bike while she was pregnant. "Yer shittin me right?" Chibs asked, "That would just be irresponsible." Peyton laughed and looped her arm through his. "Relax," Peyton said, "I was kidding."<p>

They checked into Stockton and then they were escorted into the visit room. "He'll be right out," the guard said before closing the door and locking it behind them. Peyton and Chibs found a table and sat down. Peyton never felt comfortable when she was here or at any other jail for that matter. She remembered always going to visit Opie with Donna when they had the opportunity, besides seeing Opie, it was never a pleasant experience. She felt Chibs wrap an arm around her shoulder. "You ok sweetheart?" he asked her quietly. "I hate it here," Peyton replied, "I feel so uncomfortable." "Well, I think there would be something wrong if you enjoyed it here love," Chibs joked, trying to make her feel better. Peyton smirked at him and tried to relax.

The door opened a couple minutes later and in walked Tig. Peyton felt herself relax completely when she saw him. It was a rule that you were not to hug the inmates, but she wanted to break that rule so bad. Tig broke into a huge smile when he saw Peyton with Chibs. "Baby girl, it's so good to see you," Tig exclaimed as he sat down at the table across from them, "Wasn't expecting to see you. What a great surprise!" "It's good to see you too," Peyton replied, "I wish so badly that I could hug you right now." "I know baby," Tig replied, quickly reaching across the table and squeezing her hand, "In good time we can hug all you want."

"So I knew I was expecting your ugly face," Tig said, looking over at Chibs, "But what brings you here?" "Well, I had something I wanted to tell you," Peyton replied, smiling at him, "But I wanted to tell you in person." "Well, lay it on me," Tig said, "Don't keep me in suspense." "Well first, Juice and I are engaged," Peyton said happily, "He proposed yesterday." "No shit!" Tig exclaimed, "That's fantastic news baby girl!" "Secondly," Peyton said as she reached into her purse, "These are for you." She handed them to him upside down. Tig reached for the pictures and read the backs of them. "I love you Uncle Tig," Tig mumbled quietly to himself, "Love baby Ortiz #1... #2... what the hell?" Tig looked up at Peyton and then at Chibs and then back at Peyton. "Is this your way of telling me that you are pregnant with not one... but two babies?" Tig questioned, "Is my baby girl having two more?" "She is," Peyton replied with a small smile on her face, "I just wish you were out to experience it." "Me too Peyton," Tig replied, "But things are looking good. If I keep my head up and do what's expected of me, so to speak, then I could be out of here within the next year."

Peyton looked at the two people she looked up to the most, the two men she considered to be her second and third dads and smiled a sad smile. "I just want my family to be all together," Peyton whispered, "So we can all enjoy these big moments together." Peyton placed her hand in the middle of the table and both Chibs and Tig reached in and put their hands on top of hers. "I love you guys," she whispered.


	22. Chapter 22

A few hours later Peyton walked up the drive to her new home with a smile on her face. She opened the door just as Abel and Evander flew through the living room and into the kitchen laughing and squealing. She smiled. She loved having all this action in her home.

She followed the crazy boys into the kitchen where Juice and Jax were sitting at the island drinking beers and laughing with the kids. "Hey," she said, smiling at them. She walked up and wrapped her arms around Juice's shoulders and kissed him on the cheek. "Hey baby girl," Juice said back, "How was your guys' visit with Tig? How's he doing?" She stood on the other side of the counter from the guys. "He's as good as one can be while being locked up," Peyton stated, "He was pretty happy to see us. Well, me anyways." "I'm glad he's doing ok," Jax replied, standing up and walking over to Peyton, "Good to see you Darlin." He wrapped his arms around Peyton and she hugged him back.

She looked over at Juice and he shook his head as if to say that he hadn't told Jax their big news yet. After she pulled away from Jax, Peyton pulled the sonogram pictures out of her purse and walked over to the fridge and hung them up. She knew Jax was watching her every move. "What the hell is that?"Jax asked as he followed her to the fridge. She could feel his breath on her neck he was standing so close to her. She turned to face him and smiled at him. "I'm pregnant," Peyton replied, "With twins." Jax's jaw almost hit the ground as he turned and looked at Juice. "Jesus Christ buddy," Jax stated, "Your little guys can swim! Congratulations!" Juice stood up and Jax pulled him in for a manly, congratulatory hug. "Two more Puerto-Rican babies running around the clubhouse," Jax exclaimed, "How the hell are we going to deal with that?" "They are going to be a handful," Peyton replied, "But I don't care. I'm so excited!"

"Well guys, thanks for the news," Jax said, "But I should be getting the kids home." "Sounds good man," Juice replied. "Table, tonight at 8:00," Jax said, pointing at Juice. "I'll be there man," Juice replied. Jax nodded his head, quickly kissed Peyton on the cheek, gathered up his kids and high fived Evander and Darcy before walking out the door.

Once he left, Juice pulled Peyton into his arms and leaned in and kissed her, neither one of them caring that the boys were playing in the living room. He lifted her onto the counter and then leaned in and kissed her on the neck. He ran his hands over her arms as he ran his tongue along her collar bone and she whimpered quietly. He moved his lips back up to her mouth and Peyton put her hands on either side of his face and kissed him passionately. Juice wrapped his arms around Peyton's waist and pulled her as close to him as he could. She wanted him so badly, right there on the counter, but the kids were just in the other room.

"Can't we just leave them for a minute and take this to the bedroom?" Juice asked breathless. Peyton giggled and kissed him softly. "I would love to baby, but the mischief those two can get into when left alone is uncanny," Peyton replied, smirking at him, "After your meeting, come home and we will continue where we left off." "Sounds like a fantastic plan to me," he replied, kissing her playfully on the nose.

He pulled her off the counter and they sat down on the bar stools at the island. "So, do you have any ideas for the wedding?" Juice asked, "Maybe we should talk about it." "I have tons of ideas for the wedding," Peyton exclaimed happily, "Although, you might not like this, I really want to wait until Tig is out of Stockton. I really want him there Juice." "I completely understand," he replied, reaching for her hand, "He has been like a father to you for years, so it doesn't surprise me that you would want him there. But if he doesn't get out next year, do you really want to wait 6, possibly 8 years for him to get out?" "No, no," Peyton replied, "We will get married next year, I just want to wait until next year to see if he gets out." "Absolutely," Juice replied, "So then, let's aim for next summer, like July. That's like 15 months away. That should be plenty of time to wait and see if Tig gets out."

"I like the thought of getting married in July," Peyton replied, "Let's go with July anyways, even if Tig doesn't get released. Also, I really want to have the wedding up at the cabin. I know it's silly, but it will kind of be like Uncle Bobby will be there."That's not silly at all," Juice stated, "I think it's a great idea. It will be perfect up there that time of year. Are we having a wedding party this time?" Peyton nodded her head in response. "I would like to," she said, "I want Tara to be my maid of honor and then Lyla as a bridesmaid." "Chibs and Jax for me," Juice replied, "You should probably go soon to try on dresses." "Yeah, that was the plan," Peyton replied, "I was thinking probably next week, before I get too huge."

"I can't wait to see you with a cute little baby bump," Juice stated, resting his hands on her waist, "I missed out on the first two. I'm so sorry Peyton." "Juice, we've been through this," Peyton replied, "You don't need to keep apologizing. I love you and I don't blame you or hold any resentment towards you for not being in their lives or mine. And I no longer hold any resentment towards you for leaving me years ago. We've got our second chance Juice. I don't want to dwell on the past or the what ifs that might cross our mind from time to time." "You're right," he replied, "I will try not to dwell on this anymore." "Good," Peyton stated, "Now shut up and kiss me."

* * *

><p>Juice had helped Peyton with the dishes after dinner and now he was making his way to the clubhouse. He turned the engine off on his bike, put the kick stand down and hopped off his bike. He looked up at the sky for a moment with a small smile on his face. He hadn't felt this happy in a very long time and he was happy and amazed that he was given a second chance to love Peyton and their boys and to become her husband. This time he had no doubt in his mind that this was what he wanted. He had never had any doubt the first time either, but for some reason when they hit a little rough patch, he freaked out and wanted out. He didn't want to have to deal with the difficulties and hardships of marriage. But now, that's all he wanted. He wanted to experience the happy times, the hard times and all the times in between and he wanted to experience all that with Peyton.<p>

He made his way into the clubhouse and everyone was already in the chapel. He nodded at everyone as he sat down in his spot. "I hear you got some big news," Rat said not two seconds after Juice sat down. Juice turned his head and looked at Rat for a moment. "Oh yeah," Juice replied, raising his eyebrow slightly, "And who told you this?" "Jax said you had some news, but he wouldn't tell us what it was," Rat stated. Juice looked over at Jax and Jax just smiled at him. "It's your news buddy," Jax said, "Not my place to say anything."

Juice smiled back and just shook his head. "Is nothing sacred anymore?" he questioned, looking around the table. "What are you keeping from us man?" Happy asked. "Well, I just recently became an instant father and found out Peyton was pregnant again, as you all know," Juice replied quietly, "I just found out that our family of four is not becoming a family of 5, but will soon be a family of 6." The whole table was silent and Juice noticed that both Jax and Chibs were grinning from ear to ear. "A family of 6... clearly you can't do math..." Rat said, before it actually clicked, "Holy shit, you're having twins!?" "Yes Sir!" Juice exclaimed, "We are having two beautiful babies. We are going to have our hands full."

Everyone congratulated him and wished him luck before Jax called the meeting to order. "Ok, so Chibs went to visit Tig today," Jax stated, "Now, he didn't get a whole lot of information from him because Peyton had gone along with him. But Peyton had offered to leave for a couple minutes so they could have some time to talk club business. Chibs, would you like to fill them in?"

"It looks like we may have a bit of a problem," Chibs said, looking around at the somewhat smaller group than they were used to, "Tig heard through the grapevine that an old friend of Justin's has been in Stockton for 3 months. When I say old friend, I actually mean they were best friends. He isn't in Stockton for beating and almost killing his wife, but he is in for multiple murders and robbery. Tig's source informed him that it will only be a matter of time before this guy, apparently his name is Byron, catches on that Tig is the one that killed Justin. We need to get Tig some protection before Byron retaliates and hurts him, or kills him, whichever comes first."

"Jesus," Happy grumbled under his breath, "When does it end? Hasn't Peyton been through enough? Hasn't this club been through enough?" "I know it Hap," Jax replied, "None of us saw this coming. We just assumed that once Justin was gone, that would be the end of it." "Now we have to deal with Justin's best friend," Juice sneered, "Who, once he finds out that the one who killed him is in Stockton, is out for vengeance. That's just awesome. We have to get Tig protection now. We can't sit on this."

"I've asked Unser to arrange for a sit down with Tully tomorrow morning," Jax said, "I am hoping that he will be willing to make a deal of some sort, in exchange for protection for Tig. Maybe guns for his group outside of Stockton, I don't know, but it will get arranged. Juice, maybe you could come with me. I'll have Happy watch over Peyton and the boys." Happy nodded his head in agreement. "I can't believe this," Juice stated, shaking his head, "I thought this was over. Should I tell Peyton?" "I don't want to," Jax replied, "I don't want to stress her out right now more than she already is. But Chibs thinks she has a right to know, so I think you should fill her in tonight." "Ok," Juice replied, "I have reservations about telling her too, but Chibs, you're right man. She has a right to know. I think she would be upset if we kept this from her."

* * *

><p>Peyton was sitting on the couch reading a book when she heard Juice's bike pull into the driveway at 10:30 that night. She was feeling pretty tired and a little sick to her stomach, but she hadn't wanted to go to bed before Juice got home.<p>

Juice walked through the door and smiled when he saw her sitting on the couch. But there was something else on his mind, he just didn't seem like himself. "Hey baby," he said quietly, kicking his boots off, hanging up his kutte and walking over to the couch, "What are you still doing up? I thought for sure you would be asleep by now." "I'm tired, but I didn't want to go to bed without you," she replied, patting the couch beside her.

Juice sat down beside her and pressed his forehead against hers. "Is everything ok Juice?" Peyton asked him, lifting her hand up to his cheek, "Did something happen tonight?" "Baby girl, I have something I need to tell you," Juice replied quietly. He pulled his forehead away from hers and reached for her hand, squeezing it. "What is it Juice?" Peyton asked, sounding confused.

Juice looked at her and took a deep breath. She knew something was off and she was scared of what it could be that he had to tell her.

"Juice, please tell me what's going on?" she pleaded. "Did you know a friend of Justin's name Byron?" Juice asked her quietly. "Of course," Peyton replied like it was nothing, "He was Justin's best friend. He stayed with us for a few months right after Evander was born. He seemed like a pretty decent guy." She could see Juice clench his fists. "Well, it has been brought to our attention that Byron committed a few crimes here in California and is now doing 25 years with no chance of parole, in Stockton," Juice said to her, "Byron doesn't know that the man that killed his best friend is in Stockton yet, but it is only a matter of time before he discovers that Tig is the one. We have been told that Byron is aware that Justin has been killed, but that's about it at this point. Tig could be in a lot of trouble Peyton."

Peyton's whole body began to shake and the sick feeling in her stomach got worse. "What can you do?" she asked quietly, her voice cracking with emotion. "Jax is having a sit down with a guy, a White Supremacist, named Tully, who is also in Stockton," Juice replied, grabbing her hands in his, "We are on good terms with Tully's group and Jax is hoping they can come up with some sort of arrangement in order to get protection for Tig. Jax and I are going to meet with him tomorrow morning. Happy will be around if you need anything." "I thought it was over," Peyton said more to herself than to Juice, "How did we not know about this?" "I don't know baby girl," Juice replied, "But I can promise you that we will do everything that we can to try and keep Tig safe."

Peyton bit her bottom lip and the tears in her eyes threatened to fall. She moved herself so that she was sitting in Juice's lap and she wrapped her arms around his neck. He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her softly. She kissed him back desperately, trying to make the thoughts in her head go away. She thought it was over and now she just wanted to forget.

Juice picked her up in his arms and carried her to their bedroom. She looked up at him. "Why is this happening?" she asked in a whisper. Juice laid down beside her and propped himself up on his elbow. "I honestly don't have an answer for you baby girl," Juice replied, running a hand through her hair, "Some times we just get dealt a shitty hand." "Most of my life has been a whack load of shitty hands Juice," Peyton stated, sitting up, "I'm tired of it. I just want you, my children and the club to be safe. We don't deserve this." "No, we don't," Juice replied, "But we are going to do our best to make sure nobody else gets hurt, especially Tig. He is our main priority." "Thank you Juice," she said quietly, "I don't want to talk anymore."

He grinned at her before he pulled her back down on the bed. "Let me help you forget for a little while," he whispered into her ear. "I love the sound of that," she replied before his lips made contact with hers. He pulled off his shirt quickly and then rested himself gently on top of her. He looked into her eyes and his hand travelled down her body. He smiled at her as goose bumps formed over her arms and her legs. He pushed her legs open slightly and she moaned quietly as he slid a couple fingers into her. She reached up and pulled his face down to hers and their lips met as he moved his fingers in and out of her. Peyton opened her mouth and let his tongue move into explore and caress her tongue. Her moaning got louder and she held onto him tighter as the pleasure and euphoria spread through her body. He pulled his fingers out of her and began rubbing her. Her body writhed underneath him and she whimpered, grabbing at the blankets on either side of her. "Oh my god Juice," she whimpered, "Keep going, please." He continued his attack on her body and just she was about to cry out from the intensity of her orgasm, he crashed his lips against hers, her cry muffled by his mouth.

"You're beautiful," he whispered a couple minutes later. She smiled up at him, the news from earlier that night completely forgotten.


	23. Chapter 23

Juice and Jax wanted to head out to Stockton early that morning. Juice closed the front door behind him quietly at 7:30 the next morning and Jax was waiting for him in the driveway.

"Hey man," Jax said, leaning against his bike with a cigarette hanging out of his mouth, "How is she?" "She was pretty upset when I told her last night," Juice replied, straddling his bike, "She is worried about Tig and she is angry that this is coming back to haunt her and us. After we went to bed she spent most of the night crying. I think she finally fell asleep around 4:30." "I'm sorry Juice," Jax said quietly, flicking the cigarette butt on the ground, "We will get this worked out." Juice nodded his head in agreement as they kick started their bikes and took off down the road.

* * *

><p><strong><em>"Baby, cooperate with me please," he mumbled against her neck. She could feel him pressed up against her and she instantly panicked. Everything was hazy, she was tired and she was weak. She could feel his hand between her legs and she tried to push him off of her, but she was powerless to stop him. "Justin, please," she mumbled weakly, "Please don't do this, I don't want you to do this." <em>**

**_She felt his hand make contact with her face and she whimpered quietly. She could feel the tears hot on her face. An intense piercing pain shot through her head and she cried out and she could feel an intense pain in her leg as well. Peyton couldn't move herself, nor could she defend herself. _**

**_"I want to make love to my wife," Justin growled at her, "You better not turn me down Peyton. You know what I'm capable of if I don't get my way." "Justin, I don't have the energy," she pleaded trying to push him off of her, "I'm so tired, please don't make me do this!"_**

**_Peyton heard Justin's zipper unzip and the next thing she knew he had pushed himself inside her as hard as he could..._**

Peyton shot up in bed in a cold sweat and tears streaming down her face. "Oh my god," Peyton whispered to herself, wrapping her arms around herself and rocking back and forth, "It was just a dream, just a dream. Just a horrible horrible nightmare." Peyton tried to control her breathing and slowly began to calm down. She couldn't get the images from her nightmare out of her head and it absolutely terrified her. She knew he was dead and he could no longer hurt her, but that dream just felt so real.

She jumped and it felt like her heart stopped when she heard her cell phone ring beside her. "Hello," she answered quietly. "Peyton, are you ok?" Happy asked on the other end, sounding concerned. "Oh, hey Happy," she said, feeling better just hearing his voice, "I'm ok. I just had a horrible dream." "Ok, did you want me to come over?" Happy asked. "Sure, you want to come over and help me make the boys breakfast?" Peyton asked, "They would love to see you. I would just like the company." "Absolutely," Happy exclaimed, "I'll be there soon."

She said goodbye and then put the phone down on the table. She got out of bed and pulled on a pair of shorts and a tank top and put her hair in a messy ponytail. Peyton walked into the bathroom and wiped the mascara away from underneath her eyes. Her sleep the night before had been short and less than restful and she felt exhausted. Her whole being felt uneasy and she hoped and prayed to God that Jax and Juice would be able to work out a deal with Tully to keep Tig safe. Peyton put some toothpaste on her toothbrush and quickly brushed her teeth.

After she was done she walked out of her room and made her way quietly upstairs. She opened Darcy's bedroom door and he was quietly playing with his trucks on the floor. "Hey baby," she said quietly, walking into the room and sitting down beside him, "What are you doing up?" "I tried go back sleep after daddy left," he said, "But I couldn't. Daddy said you no sleep good. I play quietly mommy." "You could've come down baby boy," she said, running her hand through his sandy blond hair. Darcy smiled up at her and continued playing with his trucks. "Guess what?" she said to him, "Uncle Happy is coming over to make breakfast with us." Darcy's face lit up in excitement. "Yay!" he cheered, "I hungry!" She laughed and stood up. "I'll let you know when he gets here," she said as she walked out of his room.

Peyton walked down the hall and quietly opened Evander's bedroom door. She smiled at the sight. Her beautiful Juice mini-me was sleeping peacefully. Evander had always been a good sleeper and usually would never wake up until around 9:00 or 9:30. She looked down at her watch. It was only 8:30. She decided that she wouldn't wake him, he would wake up soon enough. She closed the door quietly behind her and went downstairs to the kitchen.

She plugged in the coffee pot and made a full pot to have ready for when Happy got there and then she began pulling out the ingredients for chocolate chip pancakes. Her phone buzzed in her pocket and she pulled it out to see who texted her. "I love you beautiful," she read out loud. She smiled and texted Juice back, letting him know that she loved him too.

She was pulling a mixing bowl out of the cupboard when she heard the sound of not one but multiple motorbikes pull into the driveway. In a matter of seconds, she heard both boys run down the stairs. "Whose here?" Evander cried out excitedly. The door flew open and there stood Happy, Chibs, Quinn and Rat. Peyton smiled at all of them and gave them hugs before the boys took over their attention. Happy managed to avoid the attack of the boys and followed Peyton into the kitchen.

"I hope you don't mind that I brought them with me," Happy said as he sat down on a bar stool, "They weren't doing much and we haven't heard anything from Jax or Juice yet." "It's no problem Hap," she replied, pulling some coffee mugs out of the cupboard, "The more the merrier. It helps to take my mind off things." Peyton poured some coffee in a mug and handed it to Happy. He accepted it with a small smile. "You still seem pretty shaken up about that dream," Happy said, looking at her seriously, "What was it about?" "I'd rather not talk about the details," Peyton replied, "But I will say it was about Justin." Happy gave her a look of understanding. "Hap, it felt so real," she said quietly, "Like it was happening right then and there." Happy hopped off the stool and moved over to Peyton quickly. He pulled her into his arms and held her. "It was just a dream sweetheart," he said in his gruff voice, "He can't hurt you anymore."

"What's going on?" Chibs said, walking into the kitchen. Peyton looked over at Chibs from her place in Happy's arms. "I think she is beyond stressed right now," Happy said quietly, "She's scared for Tig and she had a horrible nightmare this morning about Justin." Chibs grabbed a coffee cup off the counter and poured himself a cup of coffee. "You ok sweetheart?" he asked her, looking at her with concern. "I'm ok," Peyton replied, trying to convince both of them, "I'm just scared and that dream really threw me off, made me feel uneasy. But having you guys here is helping to take my mind off things." Peyton walked over to Chibs and kissed him on the cheek. "I love you guys," Peyton said quietly, smiling at both of them. "Likewise love," Chibs answered for both him and Happy.

* * *

><p>Jax and Juice were sitting in an interrogation room when the door opened. Tully and Tig both walked into the room and sat down across from them. Jax looked at Tully with a curious look on his face. "I thought Tig should be here to discuss the situation as well," Tully said. "Fair enough," Jax replied, smiling at Tig, "How are you doing Tig?" "Well besides the fact that I have a bulls eye on my back," Tig replied calmly, "I'm doing alright buddy. Congratulations Juice on the exciting news. I couldn't be happier for you two." "Thanks Tig," Juice replied, noticing that Tully had not stopped staring him since they sat down. "What are we celebrating?" Tully asked, still looking at Juice. "My fiancé just found out that she is pregnant with twins," Juice replied, feeling slightly uncomfortable. "Well congratulations," Tully said, smiling at Juice, "Happy for you, you cute little Puerto-rican."<p>

"Ok, let's get down to business," Jax said, obviously sensing that Juice was beginning to feel uncomfortable. He leaned on the table and clasped his hands together, looking over at Tully. "The word is that Byron is talking with someone to try and figure out who killed Justin, or should I say Mr. James Berkley," Tully said, "It's only a matter of time before Byron finds out that Tig was the one to pull the trigger." "What do we need to do to secure protection for him?" Jax asked, looking over at Tig, "Can we arrange some sort of deal?" "I think we can figure something out," Tully replied, "Tig's a good guy and I suspect that he didn't kill Justin for any other reason than to protect Peyton and his club. He felt threatened and he did the first thing that came to mind. Byron won't give a shit about that. When he finds out who did it, he won't be seeing anything but red. There will be no reasoning with him. We've seen him around and he is not a man to be messed with. I agree with you that Tig will need the ultimate protection."

Jax felt nervous inside, but he didn't let anyone see that. But part of him felt that no matter what they did, if Byron wanted to get to Tig bad enough, he would do it. Even if he had to commit a few more murders to get to him. He shook his head slightly. He needed to think positive about the situation.

"What did you have in mind?" Tully asked after a moment's silence. "Well, we no longer run guns," Jax stated, "We cut all ties with the Irish but have turned the gun distribution business over to August Marks. But I can talk to Marks and arrange for your guys to get the guns that they need." "You know how my guys feel about the blacks," Tully stated, "I'm not sure that would work." "We can make the deal for them," Jax replied, "We will arrange to get the guns and then we will make the delivery to your crew. They wouldn't have to speak to each other, hell, your crew wouldn't even have to know where the gun shipment came from." Tully held out his hand and Jax reached out and shook his hand. "We have ourselves a deal Teller," Tully said, "You let me know when the arrangement has been made and then I will protect Tig myself, with a little help from my friends here at Stockton." "Thanks man," Jax replied, "We'll keep you posted. I am hoping to meet with Marks tonight."

Both Juice and Jax said goodbye to Tig and then left. When they got outside Juice turned and looked at Jax. "Was that wise?" Juice asked him, "How can you be sure that Marks will agree to giving you guns for a group of White Supremacists?" "He's not going to know," Jax replied, "We are going to buy the guns ourselves, we aren't going to tell him where the guns are going and we aren't going to tell Tully's crew where they came from. We are safe just as long as we don't resell." "Do we have that kind of money?" Juice asked curiously. "Bobby had managed to save quite a bit of money after we ran the drugs for awhile," Jax stated, "But I think Marks will cut us a bit of a deal. I'll make this work Juice."

Jax felt about as confident as Juice looked, but he didn't know what other choice he had.

* * *

><p>"We have ourselves a deal Jackson," Marks said holding out his hand. Jax reached out his hand and shook Marks' hand, making the deal. Jax then reached into his pocket and pulled out an envelope full of money. "This should cover it," Jax stated. Marks quickly counted the money and then looked at Jax with a small smile on his face. "It was a pleasure doing business with you Teller," Marks said, putting the envelope in his suit jacket pocket. "Thank you August," Jax replied, "I'll have a few of my guys pick up the guns tonight." "Sounds good," Marks stated, "The guns will be at the warehouse waiting for you like we discussed." Jax nodded his head and Marks turned and got in his car and drove away.<p>

Jax released the breath that he was holding in. He wasn't sure how that was going to go, but it appeared to have gone off without a hitch. He had gotten into contact with Tully's main man on the outside, Leland, and told him about his talk with Tully earlier that day. He told him that he would be dropping off a shipment of guns, but he needed an address and he also needed to know what guns they needed. Leland seemed to be ok with the arrangement.

"Deal is done," Jax said as he walked over to his bike and where Juice was waiting for him. "August bought it?" Juice asked him, "He had no suspicions?" "I don't think so," Jax replied, "And if he did, he didn't let on." Juice just smiled at him. "Juice I know you still feel leery about this but I really had no choice," Jax stated, "You know I would do anything for my club and I had to do this to keep Tig safe." "I trust you Jax," Juice replied, "I know that you did the best that you could and that's all that matters." Jax smiled at him and then nothing else was said.

* * *

><p>Juice and Jax walked through the door at 5:30 that evening. Peyton ran over to both of them and kissed them both and hugged them both. "Thank God," Peyton exclaimed, "I hadn't heard from you two all day. Did everything go ok?" "Made a deal with Tully," Jax said, "Now we just have to go pick up the goods and make a delivery. One phone call to Stockton and Tig will have the best protection you could ask for." Peyton smiled at them and then motioned for them to head to the kitchen.<p>

"I made dinner," Peyton said, "Go get some before it's all gone." "Don't mind if I do," Jax said, rubbing his hands together and heading down the hallway, "If I recall, your cooking was always amazing."

Once Jax disappeared into the kitchen Peyton turned to Juice and jumped into his arms. "I'm so happy to see you baby," she whispered, looking into his eyes. "Me too baby girl," Juice replied, smiling at her, "It was a long day and it might be a little longer if I have to go pick up and deliver the goods, but it's almost done." His arms tightened around her waist and he leaned in to kiss her. She closed her eyes and waited for the firework show. Her skin tingled when his lips touched hers. She wrapped her arms around his neck and got lost in the moment. His tongue explored her mouth and she caressed his tongue with hers. After a moment, Juice pulled away, leaving Peyton breathless and wanting more. "I love you," Peyton mumbled before pressing her lips against his one more time. "I love you too," he murmured against her lips, "Always."

* * *

><p>About half an hour later Peyton was in the kitchen doing the dishes while the guys were in the living room discussing the plan.<p>

"Juice, you stay home with the family," Jax said, looking over at him, "You helped me a lot today and I really appreciate it." "You sure?" Juice asked, "Because I don't mind helping out tonight if you need it." "Absolutely man," Jax replied, "I'm going to ask Chibs, Happy and Quinn to take care of this. Once the delivery is done, I'll make the call to Stockton and then I'll let you know." Juice nodded his head in agreement.

After they discussed the plan a little while longer Peyton and the boys came out into the living room to say goodbye. Peyton wrapped her arms around Chibs and hugged tightly. "Be careful," she whispered. "Always am love," he said, smiling down at her, "I'll talk to you tomorrow."

Peyton hugged the rest of the guys and then Jax stood in front of her. "Are you ok Jax?" she asked him, "You seemed quieter than normal tonight at dinner." "I'm good Darlin," he replied smiling at her and reaching for her hand and kissing it, "It's just been a really long and tiring day." "Well be careful tonight," Peyton said giving him a small smile. "I'll do what I can sweetheart," he responded, "Have a good night with your beautiful family." He kissed her on the cheek and walked out of the house.

Juice walked up behind her after the door closed and wrapped his arms around her waist, kissing her neck softly. "Is Jax ok Juice?" she asked, turning to look at him, "He seems a little uneasy or not himself." "He will be ok baby girl," Juice replied, "He had to make a tough decision today and there could be a lot of blow back on the club or him if it backfires. But I believe that everything will be ok." "Well if you believe it will and you trust Jax and the decision he made," Peyton said, "Then everything will be ok." Juice nodded his head and smiled at her.

* * *

><p>It was 9:30 that evening and Peyton was sitting on the couch reading a book and Juice was upstairs getting the kids bathed and put to bed. She smiled to herself. They had gotten into quite the routine and quickly. The four of them made the perfect family and she couldn't ask for anything more.<p>

"They went down without a fuss," Juice said as he walked into the living room. She looked over at him and his jeans hung loosely on his hips and he wasn't wearing a shirt. "Thank you for putting them to bed," Peyton replied, smiling at him, "They really do love you Juice." "You did well with them baby girl," Juice said, "Even though you had a year and a half where they weren't with you, you have raised them very well, considering the situation you were in. It takes a strong woman to persevere as you did."

They were interrupted when Juice's phone rang. "Gotta grab this, one sec," Juice said, flipping open his prepaid, "Yeah." "The delivery is done," Jax said on the other end, "I spoke with Tully and we've got what we asked for." "So Tig is set?" Juice asked. "Yeah, Tully said he would make sure Tig was taken care of," Jax replied, letting out a heavy sigh, "I feel better now that it's done. Leland, Tully's guy didn't ask any questions, so I think we are in the clear." "Thanks for the call man," Juice said, "Now go get some rest. You need it." "See you tomorrow," Jax said before they both hung up.

Juice turned and looked at Peyton with a small smile. "It's done," Juice said to her, "Tig will be safe now."

**_*So this was my attempt at making deals with other groups. I feel like I'm not particularly good with it because despite how obsessed with the show that I am, I don't have a complete understanding of the deals they make. I may not have all my facts straight, but at least I gave it a shot. I hope you enjoy the chapter because I really did. Keep the reviews coming!_**


	24. Chapter 24

_*Hope you all had a very merry Christmas! Here is a new chapter! I apologize that it took so long for me to get this out. I was sick for a week and then it was Christmas and to be honest, I had lost my desire to write. I hope I can get the desire back. I hope you enjoy this chapter as there is a little bit of a twist._

**Week and a half later**

**_"I want to make love to my wife," Justin growled at her, "You better not turn me down Peyton. You know what I'm capable of if I don't get my way." "Justin, I don't have the energy," she pleaded trying to push him off of her, "I'm so tired, please don't make me do this!"_**

**_Peyton heard Justin's zipper unzip and the next thing she knew he had pushed himself inside her as hard as he could. She screamed in pain as he continued to thrust hard. He put his hand over her mouth. "Shut the fuck up," he growled as he continued to rape her, "I'm capable of killing you sweetheart." There was nothing she could do. She was absolutely powerless to stop him and she couldn't move her body at all._**

**_"Baby,"..._**

"Baby," Juice whispered. Peyton's eyes shot open and she sat up straight in bed. She gasped a couple times as the tears streamed down her face. "Another nightmare?" Juice asked, "that's 4 nightmares this week."

The tears continued to flow from her eyes and she couldn't stop her body from shaking. The nightmares got more and more real each time she had them. She could feel his hands on her skin, his lips on her neck, on her lips, she could feel him inside her. The pain was excruciating. It was almost as if it was a memory or a flash back and not a dream at all. She turned and looked at Juice, her eyes wide and filled with fear.

"Baby girl," Juice said, reaching out to touch her face and wipe the tears from her face, "Why won't you talk to me about these nightmares you have been having?" She turned and looked at him sadly. "Because I don't think they are nightmares," Peyton whispered, her body shaking badly. "What do you mean?" he asked. "These dreams I'm having," Peyton started, scared of the realization that she was slowly coming to, "I don't think they are dreams at all. I think they are memories. I think I'm having flashbacks of something horrible that Justin did to me."

She could see that Juice was getting frustrated, but she just didn't know how to explain it to him. She didn't know how to put her realization into words.

"Peyton, you need to tell me what happened," Juice pleaded with her. "The last time he put me in the hospital," Peyton began quietly, "The time right before I ran away and came back here. The doctors sent me home and I was on some pretty heavy pain killers. But after a few days of being at home with him, he had made life so much worse for me that I started taking the pills to make myself forget." "Jesus," he whispered, looking over at her. She looked at him and saw the pain in his eyes, which probably reflected the pain in hers, and her heart broke. "Each time I have this dream or nightmare, there is something new added to it," Peyton said quietly, "Juice, I think that what I'm remembering is Justin raping me just days before I ran away to Charming. When he noticed that I was at my lowest and relying on pain medication to get me through, he started taking advantage of that."

Juice balled up his fists and stood up. She watched as the sadness disappeared and the anger quickly took it's place. "That son of a bitch," Juice growled as his fist made contact with the wall. She jumped when she heard a loud crack. "Fuck," he mumbled, shaking his fist in pain. Peyton could see a dent in the wall and quickly rushed over to him. She gently reached for his hand, which was now bleeding and walked him to the bathroom. He sat down on the side of the tub while she got a cloth and got it wet. "I'm sorry I lost control like that," Juice said quietly, "I'll fix the wall in the morning."

Peyton began to wipe the blood from his knuckles all the while staring into his dark brown eyes. Once she was done she knelt down in front of him and brought his hand up to her lips and kissed it gently. "I'm sorry Juice," she whispered, "This is just continuously haunting me, haunting us." "You have nothing to apologize for baby girl," he whispered back, "This isn't your fault. I don't blame you for wanting to numb the physical pain as well as the emotional pain. I just wish I could take away that pain now. I actually wish that Justin was alive so that I could kill him myself."

Peyton looked at her fiancé and she could see the fire in his eyes and she knew that he wished he had been the one to put the bullet in Justin's head. Juice was one of the sweetest and most loveable men that she knew, but like with everyone in the club, there is a side of him that no one ever wants to see. Just like the rest of them, Juice was not one to be messed with. If you crossed him, he would not hesitate to put you in your place. He tried his hardest to keep his dangerous streak hidden when he was with her or the kids and she appreciated it.

"I don't know what to do now," Peyton said quietly, sitting on the side of the bathtub beside Juice. Peyton put her head in her hands and cried silently. Juice put his arm around her shoulder. "What do you mean?" He asked her, "You talk to someone and deal with the situation and we go on with our lives like we planned." She looked up at him, the tears streaming down her face. "I was so sure that the twins were yours," she whispered. "They are mine baby girl," Juice replied, reaching for her chin, "It doesn't matter if they have his DNA or mine, I will raise them as my children. We won't ever tell them about their father because they don't need to know about the sick son of a bitch." "You don't care?" Peyton asked him with a small smile on her face. "No, I don't. Do you want to know why?" Juice asked. Peyton nodded her head in response. "Justin is dead," Juice replied matter of factly, "I don't have to fight with anyone about who the father is. It would be different if he was still alive." Peyton understood his perspective. "Do you want me to get a paternity test done?" She asked. Juice shook his head. "I don't think it's necessary," Juice replied, "But I understand if you need to get one done."

Peyton felt completely at ease when he said those words and that's when she realized that it really didn't matter if the twins were his or not. He would love those children like his own regardless of that fact.

The next thing she knew Juice had her in his arms and his lips were pressed against hers in a fiery embrace. Her body was instantly on fire. She wrapped her arms around his neck as he moved them both to the floor. She looked up at him and his eyes burned into hers with desire and an intensity that she was sure her eyes resembled. "Take me," she whispered, "Now."

* * *

><p>A few hours later after Juice had left for the clubhouse, Peyton was in her bathroom getting ready and the boys were playing in the living room. "Sweetheart!" she heard her mother call from the front door. "In the bathroom mom," Peyton called back. She laughed quietly to herself when she heard the boys attack grandma with hugs at the front door.<p>

"What did you feed those kids this morning?" Joyce asked with a smile, walking into the bathroom, "They are absolutely crazy with love for their grandma!" Peyton realized then that hers and Juice's clothes were still all over the floor from their intense moment that morning and she looked at her mother who was eyeing the mess. "Don't ask," Peyton said to her. "Probably best I don't," Joyce replied.

"Thanks mom for looking after the boys today," Peyton said as she finished applying her mascara and dabbing on a little lip gloss, "This is the only day that Tara, Lyla and me had time to go shopping for dresses." "It's not a problem sweetheart," her mother replied, "I love spending time with these little guys. I'm making up for lost time." Peyton put the lip gloss down and smiled at her mom. "They love it too," Peyton replied.

"So are they coming out here or are you meeting them at the store?" Joyce asked. "I'm meeting them at the clubhouse," Peyton replied, "Tara is dropping the boys off with Jax for the day and Lyla was just finishing up some paperwork for Red Woody." Her mother rolled her eyes and Peyton laughed. "It's not for everyone mom," Peyton stated, "But if you're good at it, why not make a living doing it." "Good grief child," Joyce exclaimed, laughing with Peyton, "You do have a point I suppose."

Peyton gave her mom and quick hug. "I have to get going mom," Peyton said after a moment, "But if you need anything call my cell first. If I don't answer then call Juice. I just don't want to bother him if he is busy." Her mom nodded her head in agreement.

Peyton grabbed her purse off the dresser and went out into the living room to say goodbye to her boys. "Momma's leaving," she called from the front door, "I love you guys." The boys ran over to her and gave her kisses and hugs and waved to her and she walked out the door.

* * *

><p>About half an hour later Peyton pulled her truck into the parking lot of TM and the clubhouse. She walked into the clubhouse and saw Lyla talking with Chibs, which wasn't anything unusual. However, this time she was laughing at some private joke and Chibs was playing with a strand of her hair. Peyton stood there quietly and watched as they interacted with each other with an eyebrow raised. They were clearly too into each other to notice that she had entered the room. How long had "this" been going, she asked herself. It was such an unlikely pairing that it was almost adorable.<p>

"Umm… I don't mean to interrupt," Peyton said quietly. Lyla jumped and Chibs looked over at her and then quickly stood up, his hands falling to his sides. "Hey," Lyla said sheepishly, "This isn't what it looks like." "That's usually what people say when it's exactly what it looks like," Peyton replied with a smirk, "So how long has "this" been going on?" "Not long," Chibs replied, "It's all very new to us as well. Kind of came as a shock really." "It started the night of the party at your place," Lyla replied, "We haven't really established anything. But we just discovered that we have some sort of connection and we are figuring it out as we go." "Well good for you guys," Peyton said happily, "I'm sorry I walked in on you guys. But honestly, if this is what you both want, then go for it. It's kind of cute."

All conversation stopped when Abel and Thomas ran into the clubhouse screaming and Tara wasn't far behind. She looked calm and collected like she always did and she smiled at us when she saw us.

"Hey," she said, walking up to the bar where the three of us were sitting. Tara gave Chibs and quick hug and a kiss on the cheek before turning to us. "Ready to shop?" she asked excitedly, "because I'm ready to leave the kids here. Chibs is Jax around?" "Nah sweetheart," Chibs replied, "Him and Juice had to make a house call." He rolled his eyes after he finished the sentence. They all knew what that meant. It meant nothing good. "You guys head out," Chibs said, standing up, "I look after the little lads." He kissed Lyla on the cheek and Peyton could see her face get red and then he hugged me tightly. "Enjoy yourself baby girl," he whispered. Peyton nodded her head and smiled at him.

The girls walked outside and decided to take Lyla's car as there was more room and no car seats. On their way, Peyton was sitting in the front seat and she could barely contain herself. "I know I shouldn't say anything," Peyton said, looking over at Lyla. Lyla turned and glared playfully at Peyton. "I actually wanted to talk to both of you about this," Lyla said, looking at Tara through the review mirror. Tara looked up at both of them. "Talk about what?" Tara asked. "Well, I'm not really sure how it happened," Lyla replied, "But Chibs and I have kind of been seeing each other. It's only been since the house warming party a couple weeks ago and not much has happened. We've been spending a lot of time together in the evenings. He has been coming over to my house because I have the kids, but the kids like having their dad's friend around."

Tara's jaw hit the ground as she looked back and forth between Peyton and Lyla. "No shit!" Tara exclaimed, "How long did you know about this?" Tara stared at Peyton and waited for an answer. "I found out about 20 minutes before you did," Peyton stated, "I walked into the clubhouse and they were flirting like crazy." "Does anyone else know?" Tara asked. Lyla shook her head. "I think the only one that might know is Jax," Lyla replied, "But other than that, no one knows." "I'm happy for you Ly," Tara replied, "I hope things work for you two." Lyla smiled at Tara through the rear view mirror.

* * *

><p>A little while later they had pretty much tried on every bride's maid dress in the one dress store in Charming before Tara and Lyla decided on a knee length, strapless light pink dress with a white sash around the middle. "It's perfect!" Peyton exclaimed, "It's looks beautiful on both of you and the color is perfect for that time of year." All three girls squealed in excitement.<p>

"Ok, your turn," Tara said, pointing towards the change room and pile of wedding dresses. Peyton got up and ran into the change room. She had no idea where to start.

Tara looked up from her magazine when Peyton stepped out of the change room a little while later and what she saw took her breath away. "Peyton, it's gorgeous," Lyla said quietly, "It's the perfect dress!" It was a very pale pink ball gown type dress. The straps of the dress rested just off the shoulders, it had a corset back and lots and lots of tulle. "I think I found my dress," Peyton said happily. She looked in the mirror and her two best friends stood on either side of her in their dresses. Tears instantly sprung to all of their eyes. "I think so too," Tara replied. Peyton pulled her two friends in for a hug. She didn't think that it was possible to be as happy as she was, but there was always something that happened to prove her wrong. She couldn't help but be afraid that her happiness would be stolen away from her somehow.

**_*So it won't be a prominent part of the story, but who kind of likes the idea of Lyla and Chibs? It popped into my head a couple weeks ago and I just had to write it into the story. Hope you enjoyed it! Keep the reviews and encouragement coming! I hope to get some more written in the next week or so :)_**


	25. Chapter 25

**2.5 Months Later**

Life for Peyton and Juice and their little family had gone on pretty much the way it had been since they moved into their new home a few months ago, except for a few minor things. Peyton's nightmares had continued and they kept getting worse and more vivid and more real. It was to the point where she was afraid to close her eyes at night for fear of what might be revealed to her in her sleep. Peyton had been hoping that the nightmares or flashbacks would go away on their own, but a month ago her and Juice decided that it was time for her to go back to her Psychiatrist and talk through it.

Juice had gone with her to a couple sessions, but today Peyton sat on the couch across from her doctor, alone, with her legs crossed underneath her. Juice had offered to come along, but she knew that he had a lot of club business to take care of so she told him that she would be ok.

"So, is there anything new today Peyton?" the doctor asked her. Peyton looked up at her doctor and bit her lip and shook her head, "Nothing really new," Peyton replied quietly, "It's pretty much the same thing every night now since I saw you last Friday." "Can you go through it with me again?" the doctor asked, looking down at her notes, "I know it's tough, but I just need you to clarify it for me again." "I was on a lot of pain medication. It was supposed to just take the pain in my leg away and to keep the pain in my head at bay," Peyton replied, looking down at her hands, "After about 4 days I started taking it to numb everything and to help me to forget that he was even there with me. But there was that one night about two days before I packed up and left, that he raped me. He took advantage of me because he knew I wouldn't remember it. But like I told you last time, the last thing that appeared in my dream or flash back was him saying that the only thing that I would remember from that night was him getting me pregnant."

Peyton looked down at her little protruding belly and so did the doctor. "Do you think he was successful Peyton?" she asked, "Do you think those precious little babies are Justin's or Juice's?" "I don't know what I think anymore," Peyton mumbled, "At first I was 100% certain that these babies were Juice's, but now... The son of a bitch is dead and he is still managing to ruin my life." Peyton put her head in her hands and let the hot tears flow through her fingers. The doctor got up and sat down beside Peyton and rubbed her back gently. "I want you to try and do something for me," she said quietly, "And I know that it will be a lot easier said than done." "What's that?" Peyton asked, sounding frustrated. "I want you to remember exactly what you just said," she replied, "Remember that Justin is dead. He can no longer hurt you. You can choose to let him hurt you or you can choose to free yourself from his ghost. Also, remember that you and Juice talked and that no matter what, those babies will only know Juice as a father and not Justin. Juice is going to love those babies as if they were his." "I understand what you're saying," Peyton replied, lifting her head up to look at the doctor, "But how do I keep myself from having these dreams or flashbacks or whatever they are? How do I stop them?"

Her doctor got up grabbed her prescription pad and wrote something down on it. "First, I want you to take one of these before bed every night for the next two weeks," she said handing her the prescription, "After that, try a night without it and if the nightmares come back try another couple nights and go from there. They are just a heavy duty sleeping pill that should help you sleep through the night without disruption. Next, I want you to try really hard to not give Justin another thought. If thoughts come up, just keep telling yourself that he is dead and he can't hurt you anymore." "Ok, I'll give it a shot," Peyton replied smiling up at her doctor, "Thank you for all your help." "You're welcome Peyton," the doctor replied smiling back, "Let's make another appointment for three weeks from now. You can update me on how the pills are working. I want you to try and wean yourself off of them after three weeks." "Sounds good," Peyton said as she stood up, "I'll see you in three weeks." The doctor nodded. "Take care of yourself and those babies," she stated as Peyton opened the door, "Oh, and just to let you know, the pills I have given you are harmless to the baby so you don't have to worry about that."

* * *

><p>As Peyton walked to her car after her appointment she could hear her phone buzz in her purse. She pulled her phone out and looked down at her call display. It was Tara. Her heart began to pound in her chest.<p>

**FLASHBACK**

_**Peyton let herself into Tara's office and sat down and waited for her friend to get there. She pulled a bag out of her purse and put it on the desk in front of her. It contained an old razor of Justin's, that she had stolen from his bag when she was in the hotel room with him. She had taken it to protect herself and then after everything had gone down she just never got rid of it. The bag also contained the razor blade that Juice had thrown out that morning after he cut himself shaving.**_

_**She had remembered a conversation that her and Tara had a few weeks back and Tara mentioned that she would need a used razor or hair from a hair brush, if she ever wanted to do a paternity test. Peyton didn't tell Juice that she was doing this. She was planning to tell him once she got the results back from Tara.**_

_**A couple minutes later Tara walked in and saw the bag on the desk. "So you have decided to go through with the test?" Tara asked her, sitting down in her chair across from Peyton. Peyton nodded her head. "Juice doesn't know I'm doing this," Peyton said quietly, "So please don't say anything to him. But it's killing me. I need to know." "I understand," Tara replied smiling at her best friend, "I would be the same way if I wasn't sure." "I wasn't sure what you would need," Peyton said, "But I managed to get skin or little hair remnants from each of their razors." Tara looked at her with an eyebrow raised. "You just happened to have a used razor of Justin's?" Tara questioned. "I took it from his bag when he kidnapped me," Peyton replied, "I know it sounds far fetched, but I needed something to defend myself with... although he knocked me out before I had a chance to use it." Things got silent and awkward after that and Peyton wasn't sure what to say.**_

_**"We just need a blood test from you now," Tara said after a couple minutes, "And then we should have the results in about a week or week and a half. Are you going to tell Juice once you find out?" "I plan on telling him once I find out," Peyton replied, "I just needed to do this on my own."**_

Peyton was brought back to the present as her phone continued to buzz in her hand. She pushed the button to answer it. "Hi Tara," Peyton said quietly, "What's up?" "Do you have time to come to the hospital?" Tara asked, "I got your paternity test results and I don't want to read them over the phone." "Sure, I can be there in ten minutes," Peyton replied feeling like she could puke up everything she had eaten that morning, which wasn't very much. "Good," Tara replied, "See you soon."

Peyton threw her purse in the passenger seat and then got into her truck and turned it on. She pulled out of the doctors office parking lot and made her way to the hospital. Both possible scenarios played in her head and she had prayed everyday that the news was what she had hoped for, but at that particular moment she didn't feel very confident. She was actually terrified to find out what the results where, but she had come this far and wasn't about to turn back now.

Ten minutes later Peyton was walking through St. Thomas and let herself into Tara's office. She sat down in the chair and looked up at her friend without saying a word. Tara placed a piece of paper on her desk and slid it towards Peyton. "It's pretty self explanatory," Tara said. Peyton was amazed at how good Tara's poker face was. Just by looking at her Peyton had no idea, not even a hint what the results where. Peyton picked up the results and read through the entire thing. She put the piece of paper down after a couple minutes of processing the information and looked at Tara.

"Thanks for doing this for me Tara," Peyton said, "It really means a lot to me. But I have to get going for now. Can I take this?" "No problem," Tara replied, "I already made a copy for the file so you can take that one." Peyton smiled at her and then silently left Tara's office.

* * *

><p>A few hours later after Peyton had dropped the kids off at Gemma's place for the evening, she pulled into TM and made her way into the clubhouse. She had spent some time at home by herself trying to process the information that she had been given earlier that afternoon. All she knew was that she needed to see Juice. She knew that he would be there for her.<p>

She smiled as Happy greeted her in the main room. "Hey sweetheart," he said quietly as he pulled her in for a hug, "How are you feeling?" She looked up at him and noticed a deep gash under his right eye. "I'm doing ok Hap," she replied as she reached up and ran her hand gently over his cheek, "Question is, are you doing ok? Do you want me to clean that up?" Peyton knew that Happy would say no, but she thought she would ask anyways. She had lost count with how many times she had to clean up the guys over the years. "I'm fine sweetheart," he replied, "Just an altercation with the Chinese. Nothing I couldn't handle." Peyton shook her head and smiled up at him. "I meant with the nightmares Peyton," Happy clarified, "Juice mentioned to me that you were still having them." "Yeah, I'm still having them," Peyton replied, "But the doctor has given me something to try and control them, so we will see if that helps." He gave her a quick smile and kissed her on the cheek.

Peyton watched as Happy left the clubhouse and then she sat in the quiet main room and twisted her hands in her lap. She didn't know how long she had been sitting there before Juice, Chibs and Jax walked in.

Chibs and Jax both smiled at her and gave her quick kisses on the cheek before disappearing into the chapel. Juice walked up to her with a small smile on his face. "What's going on?" he asked her quietly, "You seem off." "I was just wondering if I could steal you for the rest of the evening," Peyton replied, "I have something I want to talk to you about." "I just have a quick meeting," Juice replied, looking concerned, "Shouldn't take too long. Is everything ok?" She smiled at him and pulled him down to her and kissed him softly. "Of course everything is ok," Peyton whispered, "It's just something that I want to talk to you about. Do you want me to wait here for you or should I meet you at home?" "I'll be like 10 minutes," Juice stated, kissing her quickly again, "Wait for me." Peyton smiled and nodded her head.

A little while later Peyton was sitting on a swing on the jungle gym that the guys had put in for Abel and Thomas. She was looking up at the stars thanking God for the life that she had now, no matter what happened next. She was healthy, she had a happy family and the best part, she was alive. She couldn't really ask for more than that.

"Sorry that took a little longer than I had hoped," Juice said, walking up to her and sitting on the swing beside her. "No worries," Peyton replied smiling over at him, "I don't want you to be upset with me." "What do you mean?" Juice asked, looking over at her, "What did you do?" Peyton got off the swing, walked over to her purse and pulled out a piece of paper. She walked back over to him and handed him the paper. "I had to find out," she whispered. Juice looked up at Peyton and then back down at the paper in his hands. He unfolded it and he took his time reading it.

Peyton was losing her mind as he painfully continued to analyze every word. After about 5 minutes of silence Juice finally looked up at her. "This is real?" he asked her quietly. Peyton nodded her head slowly. "How can you keep such a straight face? he asked her, "You give me this news and you can't even smile?" "I thought you might be upset that I even got the test done," Peyton replied. "With news like this I could never be upset with you!" Juice exclaimed, jumping off the swing, "We made those babies growing inside you baby girl. We did that! Not you and Justin, but you and me! This is the best news you could ever give me!" He wrapped his arms around her waist and twirled her around. Peyton giggled and wrapped her arms around his neck as the tears slowly made their way down her cheeks.

She really couldn't ask for anything more.


	26. Chapter 26

It was the moment that Tig had been dreading since he found out that Justin's best friend was doing hard time in Stockton. Byron knew that Tig was the one that had shot Justin point blank. Needless to say, Tig's days were often spent in his cell or him and Tully had worked together to come up with ways for Tig to end up in solitary so Byron couldn't get at him. But sometimes there was just no avoiding being in the dining hall or outside and today was one of those days.

On this particular day Tig was sitting at a picnic table with Tully and the rest of his entourage enjoying the sunshine and shooting the shit. "So what's the word on Byron?" Tig asked Tully, hoping to get some new information. Things had been quiet for a few days. Tig hadn't seen Byron and neither had Tully. "He apparently got himself into trouble and has been in solitary for the last two days," Tully replied, lighting up a cigarette, "But the bastard gets out this afternoon. I honestly don't know if he has been planning anything, which is why we haven't left your side." "Thanks man," Tig replied gruffly, "I appreciate the protection." "Was all part of the agreement man," Tully replied, "What kind of person would I be if I didn't hold up my end of the deal?"

Tig nodded his head and then stood up. "Where you going?" Tully asked him. "I just have to take a piss man," Tig replied, frustrated and appreciative at the same time that his every move was being watched. "Make it quick," Tully ordered, "I'll send someone to keep watch outside the bathroom." Tully nodded at one of his guys and he got up and followed Tig as Tig made his way to the bathroom. "I'll be 5 minutes," Tig said to him before walking into the washroom.

Once the door closed behind him Tig notice a dark shadow in the mirror. "Oh shit," Tig mumbled. He turned to see who it was, but it was too late. He noticed that it was one of Byron's groupies who had probably sacrificed his soul to be part of Byron's group. The guy had punched Tig hard in the face. It caught him off guard and he fell onto the floor, hitting his head on the counter on the way down. Tig managed to keep his eyes open for a few moments, not wanting to let this guy win. He groaned loudly when he felt the blade sink into his stomach and as the guy twisted the knife everything went black.

* * *

><p>Tully's guy heard a loud groan from inside the washroom and he barged in to see what was happening. He saw a guy hunched over Tig's lifeless form on the floor getting ready to shove a knife into him. He quickly swung his leg around and kicked the guy off of Tig and then proceeded to kick the guy in the stomach.<p>

Once he knocked the guy out unconscious he quickly stuck his head out of the washroom door and caught the first guy that walked by. "Hey," he called, "Grab Tully! He's outside. Move... NOW!" The guy took off towards the door leading outside and disappeared.

He went back into the bathroom and knelt down beside Tig. "Shit," he mumbled to himself as he placed his hand over the gash in Tig's stomach. He leaned down and placed his cheek near Tig's mouth and he could feel hot air coming out. "Thank God," he breathed, "You're still alive." At least for now Tig was alive, he thought to himself.

Seconds later Tully came barging into the washroom. "What the fuck happened man?" he yelled, "I sent you with him to keep him protected. This is not what I had in mind!" "I should've checked before I let him go in," the guy replied from his position on the floor, "He was hiding in the stall waiting for him. It's one of Byron's groupies." "Shit," Tully growled, pushing the guy out of the way.

He reached down and grabbed the knife from the floor beside Byron's guy and watched and waited. After a couple minutes the guy groaned as he opened his eyes and looked up at Tully. Tully kneeled down beside the guy and pushed his head against the wall. "You should've thought long and hard before you attacked him," Tully whispered into his ear. He took the blade and slid it slowly and deeply across his neck. "Fucker," he whispered before throwing the knife across the room.

Without being asked, Tully's guy walked over to the knife and picked it up making sure to get his prints all over the handle and then he nodded at Tully. He wasn't about to let Tully take the blame for what happened, it was his fault that it happened to begin with.

Tully was hunched over Tig's lifeless body and in a matter of minutes a couple of guards had barged into the bathroom, staring at the scene in front of them. "What the hell happened here?" One of the guards demanded. "One of Byron's guy got to Tig before either one of us had a chance to stop him," Tully answered, "My guy had already killed Bryon's groupie before I even got here. Now get Tig to the infirmary. I have a feeling this is bad." The guards both nodded at Tully before they loaded Tig onto a stretcher that was just outside the washroom.

"Can I borrow a phone?" Tully asked, "I have a call to make."

* * *

><p>Jax was sitting at the head of the reaper table talking with Chibs that afternoon when his phone began buzzing in his pocket. He didn't recognize the number so he just answered it. "Yeah," Jax said. "Jax, it's Tully," he said on the other end, "We have a slight situation." "What happened Tully?" Jax asked, his voice full of concern. "One of Byron's guys got to Tig," Tully stated. "What the fuck man? What the hell happened?" Jax growled, "I thought we had a deal?" "One of my guys slipped up man. I'm just as pissed as you are," Tully replied, "Tig had to take a piss and my guy failed to check the washroom before Tig went in. The fucker was hiding in a bathroom stall, caught Tig off guard and attacked him with a rusty switchblade. But Byron's guy won't be able to try and attack him again. I slowly took the life out of his eyes, if you catch my drift."<p>

Jax rolled his eyes in anger at Chibs. "Thanks for taking care of the problem Tul, but now my biggest concern now is Tig," Jax stated, "Do you know how Tig is doing?" "Sorry Jax," Tully replied, "He is in emergency right now and I haven't heard any update at this point. I think it might be best if one of you comes out to Stockton. By the time you get here I'm sure we will have an update for you. Jax, I will kill this guy. Byron won't get away with this." "Ok, I'm on my way," Jax replied before hanging up his phone.

"Jesus Christ!" Jax yelled as he threw his phone across the room and against the door. Right after the phone made contact with the door, it opened and in walked Happy. "What the hell Prez?" Happy asked, looking down at the shattered pieces of the pre-paid. "Sorry Hap," Jax grumbled, "Take a seat." Happy sat down in his chair and looked at Jax and then at Chibs. "What's going on?" Happy asked curiously. "I was just about to ask the same thing," Chibs stated, looking at Jax, "Care to fill us in?"

Jax sat down in his chair and looked at Chibs and Happy. "That was Tully," Jax said quietly, folding his hands on the table, "One of Byron's cronies got to Tig. Caught him off guard in the washroom and stabbed him with a rusty knife. At this point, Tully has no idea what Tig's condition is. Tully has taken care of Byron's "little helper" and I'm pretty sure that Tully will commit to his promise to end Byron after what happened today." "Jesus," Happy mumbled, "What next?" "Tully has asked me to come out to Stockton," Jax replied, "So that's where I'm headed. Happy, you can come with me and Chibs, if you don't mind, just stick around here." Chibs and Happy both nodded their heads in agreement. "Chibs, you can fill Juice, Rat and Quinn in when they get back," Jax continued, "But I will tell Peyton when I get back." "Sounds good boss," Chibs replied, "Be careful out there."

* * *

><p>A couple hours later Jax and Happy were sitting across from Tully in an interrogation room. "Tig is in critical condition," Tully said looking seriously at Jax, "Where is the beautiful Peurto-Rican?" "He was busy," Jax replied nonchalantly, "What's Tig's prognosis?" "The doctor said that things look ok," Tully replied, looking down at his hands, "They managed to repair the damage done to his stomach. But they won't know anything for sure until he wakes up…if he wakes up. But I will make a note to keep you posted as the updates come in." Jax gave him a quick nod. "You better," he grumbled angrily, "This was not part of the deal Tully. When I asked you to protect him, I meant make sure nothing happens to him as in, make sure that he doesn't almost die. Screw up again and the deal is off the table. I'll make sure the gun shipments stop coming in."<p>

Jax looked across the table at Tully and he could tell that he had struck a cord. He could see the anger flash in Tully's eyes and his fists were clenched in his lap. Jax knew just by looking at Tully that Tully wasn't mad at him but pissed beyond belief at himself. Tully didn't strike Jax as a man that made mistakes and that's what the real problem was in this situation. His pride and ego were hurt and it was clear that Tully was afraid this would ruin his reputation.

"This won't happen again," Tully stated matter of factly, "I can assure you of that." "How can you be sure?" Happy sneered. "I'm going to eliminate the problem," Tully replied looking back at Happy, "And then I'm going to take care of shit myself from now on. It's clear that I can't trust people to help me out when I need it. When I do, bullshit like this happens."

Jax and Happy nodded and stood up. They shook hands with Tully. Jax knew that no more shit would happen now with Tully grabbing hold of the reigns. Jax felt confident that Tully could be trusted, he just hoped to God that Tig would wake up from this.

* * *

><p>Juice had gotten home a couple hours ago and he was playing outside in the backyard with the boys while Peyton took a nap. He had just got a call from Jax. Jax had explained that he had to make a trip out to Stockton, but now he was on his way back to Charming and asked if it was ok if he stopped over. Juice was concerned and couldn't stop his mind from thinking the worst possible scenario.<p>

He heard a motorcycle, actually two motorcycles, pull into the driveway out front. "Hey boys," Juice called out, "I think I heard a couple bikes pull into the driveway!" A huge smile spread across Evander's face as him and Darcy took off out the back gate towards the front yard. Juice laughed and followed behind. The kids love it when any of the club showed up for a surprise visit.

When Juice got to the front yard Evander had already attacked Jax with a big hug and Darcy was straddling Happy's bike and beaming like a little kid on Christmas Day. "Look daddy look!" Darcy called out, "I ride bike like you!" God, I hope not, Juice thought to himself. "Look at you," Juice said, walking up to him, "Hey Hap. Things alright?" "I'll let Jax fill you and Peyton in," Happy replied, smiling back at the little boy on the bike, "Uncle Happy is here to distract the boys." "Understood," Juice replied.

Jax walked up to them with Evander attached to his leg. "What did you feed this kid?" Jax asked, smiling at Juice, "It's like he drank a bunch of crazy juice right before I showed up." "No crazy juice for these boys," Juice replied, laughing, "They are plenty of crazy without the juice! But I love em to death." "Is Peyton around," Jax asked, still smiling, "I want to talk to both of you." "Yeah, she's just sleeping," Juice replied, "I'll go wake her up and meet you in the kitchen once you detach Evander from your leg." Jax nodded.

Juice walked back into the house and into the bedroom where Peyton slept peacefully. It had been a couple days since they celebrated the news and since she started taking the sleeping pills her psych gave her and they were working like a charm. He sat down on the bed beside her and ran a hand gently through her hair. She rolled over and opened her eyes looking up at Juice. "Hey," she whispered, smiling up at him. "Hey beautiful," Juice replied, "I'm sorry to wake you, but Jax is here. He wants to talk to both of us." Peyton's smile disappeared faster than he could blink. She sat up, the concern very clear on her face. "Is everything ok?" she asked. "I don't know baby girl," Juice replied, "I know about as much as you."

Juice helped her out of bed and she pulled on a hoodie and a pair of jeans and they walked into the kitchen together. "Whose with the boys?" Peyton asked, looking around. "Happy's taking care of them," Juice replied. Peyton smiled slightly and hugged Jax when she saw him. "I helped myself to a beer," Jax stated with a smile on his face, "I hope you don't mind." "Of course not," Peyton replied, "Now what's going on Jax?"

"Take a seat," Jax said, pointing to the two chairs across from him. Juice and Peyton both sat down and stared at him impatiently. "I've got some unfortunate news," Jax said quietly, "I got a call from Tully this afternoon. Turns out one of Tully's crew dropped the ball today. Tig had to go to the washroom and one of Byron's cronies got to him." "What do you mean "got to him"?" Peyton snapped. Juice put his arm around her waist to try and calm her down. "Let him finish," Juice said to her. She took a deep breath and waited for Jax to continue. "Tig was stabbed badly with a rusty switchblade," Jax continued, "Tully made sure that Byron's man experienced a slow death. But Tig is in critical condition. Tully informed us that the doctors think everything went ok, but they won't really know for sure until Tig wakes up...if he wakes up." Peyton looked at Jax and the silent interaction between the two of them broke Juice's heart.

Peyton tried with all her power not to let the tears fall or get angry, but she was unsuccessful. "You promised me!" she cried out as she stood up, "You promised that Tig would be protected while he was in Stockton. Now look at him! You are essentially telling me that he could die! You son of bitch! You promised me!" Jax did not argue this with her. He stood up and walked around the table and pulled her into his arms. She fought him with all her might, swinging her arms and hitting him in the chest and crying. "Baby girl, I'm so sorry," Jax whispered, trying to sooth her, "I did promise and I'm so sorry that this happened." She stopped fighting him and she collapsed into his arms. "I'm sorry Jax," she whimpered, "I didn't mean to blame you. This wasn't your fault." Jax lowered himself to the ground and held her in his arms while she continued to cry and Juice just watched the scene unfold.

Juice just wished the pain would stop for all of them and that everything would be ok. When would it end?


	27. Chapter 27

Later that night Peyton was sitting on the couch in the living room and she had barely said three words to anyone. She didn't know what to say or what to think. She was tired, she was sad and she was physically, emotionally and mentally drained. She was worried about Tig and she was angry that her situation had gotten a lot of the people that she loved hurt, or worse, killed. She felt like everything that had happened in the last six months was her fault. If she hadn't come back to Charming, everyone she loved would still be alive and healthy.

The house was buzzing. Jax had called Tara because he thought it would be good to have her there in case Peyton needed her. Tara had brought Abel and Thomas to play with Evander and Darcy. But Peyton was hardly paying attention to what was going on around her.

Peyton felt the couch sink down beside her. She turned her head and saw Tara sitting beside her. Her eyes clouded over as the tear formed and she leaned into her best friend's arms. "How did life get to be such a mess Tara," Peyton mumbled, "This is not at all how I thought things would go. It wasn't part of the plan." "Things never usually go the way we planned," Tara said quietly, "It has definitely been a tough year for you and all of us." Peyton nodded her head in agreement. "I just want it to be over," Peyton said, "We all do. Juice is done and I'm sure Jax is on his way to throwing in the towel." "Mentally, yes, Jax wants it to be over," Tara replied, "But no matter what happens, he will never give up on his club or his family."

Peyton lifted her head when she heard a phone ring somewhere in the house. Her and Tara watched as Jax answered his phone. They looked at each other curiously as Jax went out to the back yard, Juice wasn't far behind. "I wonder what that's about?" Peyton said out loud to no one in particular. She then looked over at her friend. it was then that she noticed how pale Tara was and she almost looked like she had a gained a little bit of weight. Then Peyton's eyes went down to Tara's hands, which were resting on her tummy. Peyton's eyes got wide and shot up to Tara's like a shot. "Are you shitting me?" Peyton asked excitedly. Tara broke into a huge smile. "I'm not shitting you sweetheart," Tara replied happily, "Baby Teller number 3 is due a month after the baby Ortiz duo makes their appearance. About a month before your wedding." Peyton wrapped her arms around her best friend and squealed like an idiot. "I'm so excited and happy for you guys!" Peyton exclaimed.

At that moment the back door slammed and Jax and Juice walked into the living room. "That was Tully," Jax stated, "They are unable to monitor Tig properly at Stockton so they have moved him to St. Thomas so they can take care of him better. They said Tig opened his eyes once, but he quickly went unconscious again." Peyton stood up. "Is he there now? Peyton asked. "He should be there by now," Juice replied, "He is only allowed family and close friends to visit and there is a police officer constantly on guard. Not that Tig will be going anywhere." "Can I go see him?" Peyton asked, looking at Juice and then Jax, "I really want to be with him right now?" Peyton watched as Juice looked over at Jax and then nodded. "Of course baby girl," Juice replied, "I'll take you."

"You and Tara wouldn't mind taking care of the boys for a little while would you?" Peyton asked Jax, batting her eyelashes at him. "Not at all Darling," he replied, pulling Peyton into his arms and hugging her tightly, "Take your time with him." "Thank you so much," Peyton replied after the hug ended, "Oh, congratulations by the way!" Jax looked at her confused for a moment and then he broke into a huge smile. "Tara didn't tell me," Peyton stated, "I figured it out on my own." "Thanks, we're pretty excited!" Jax stated, looking over at his wife lovingly.

Peyton hugged Jax one more time and then hugged Tara before her and Juice left for the hospital.

* * *

><p>Peyton and Juice walked into St. Thomas and made their way up Tig's room hand in hand. There was a big burly police officer standing outside his room and he stepped in front of the door when they approached. "I would like to see Alexander Trager," Peyton stated. "What is your relation to Mr. Trager?" he asked her, holding a piece of paper in his hand. "My name is Peyton Berkley," she replied, looking at him hopefully, "I'm his niece." The police officer looked over the list and sure enough he stepped aside. "Take as long as you like Ms. Berkley," the officer said nicely before giving Juice a quick nod, "You are welcome to go in as well Mr. Ortiz."<p>

Peyton grabbed a chair and pulled it next to the bed and sat down. Juice sat down on a chair by the window and watched Peyton. She smiled at him and he smiled back and then she looked down at Tig. He looked incredibly peaceful, which was the exact opposite of how things were right now. She reached up and ran her hand through his hand and then placed her hand on his cheek. His skin felt cold to the touch. After a moment, she reached her hand down and grabbed his bigger hand in hers and just sat there with him.

"I love you Tiggy," Peyton whispered to him, feeling weird and completely unsure of whether or not he could even hear her. She was told that people in a coma could often hear you talking to them, but she didn't think that Tig was in a coma. She was sure that he was just unconscious or asleep and she was praying and hoping that he would wake up from this eventually. "Please fight," she continued, not caring if he could hear or not, "I, actually all of us, need you to come out of this. We need you to get better. I don't know what I would do if I lost you." Peyton could feel the tears well up in her eyes for the millionth time that day and this time she didn't fight them. She blinked and the tears fell down her cheeks and she squeezed his hand, hoping that somehow, Tig could feel it.

Juice moved his chair next to Peyton's and sat down beside her, pulling her into his arms. She leaned her head against his chest as the tears continued to fall. "I know this is tough for you baby girl," Juice whispered into her hair, "You are incredibly strong and this is just one more thing that you can get through. We are all here for you and I believe that all of this bullshit will be over soon." Peyton looked up at him and smiled slightly. "I don't feel so strong," she whispered, "I feel tired and I feel like giving up." "Don't give up. You need to continue to be strong," Juice replied, "Tig needs you to be strong."

* * *

><p>A couple hours later Tig groaned quietly and opened his eyes, letting them adjust to the dark room. He didn't realize where he was until he notice Juice asleep on a chair beside his bed and he felt someone pressed up against his side. He looked down and realized that Peyton was curled up on the bed beside him. He smiled at this, but he was still confused as to where he was and why he was there. He had considered Peyton to be one of his daughters. He was closer to Peyton than he was with his daughter Fawn and his heart still hurt from losing his daughter Dawn in a horrible and terrifying accident. So he was glad that he had someone like Peyton in his life. He also felt happy that no matter what was going on in her life, she managed to love him more than he could ever imagine. She was no longer the little 15 year old girl that had showed up at the clubhouse, devastated and heartbroken when her very best friend in the world and her crush told her that he was dating Donna. He laughed inwardly to himself.<p>

**FLASHBACK**

_**Tig looked up from the picnic table when he saw Peyton ride her bike up to the clubhouse, tears streaming down her face. **_

_**"Baby girl, what's wrong?" Tig asked as Peyton let her bike fall to the ground. Peyton walked up the stairs and sat down at the picnic table beside him. "Opie and Donna?" she questioned, looking over at him, "I can't believe he is dating Donna." Peyton was so upset that Tig could see her entire body shaking. **_

_**Tig had known that Peyton had the biggest high school girl crush on Opie, but he also knew that Opie didn't feel the same way for her. Opie and Jax were two years older than Peyton and the three of them were inseperable, so someone was bound to develop some sort of feelings for someone else in the group. **_

_**"Sweetheart, maybe this just wasn't meant to be," Tig said quietly, pulling her into his arms, "There is someone out there for you, but it's not your time yet. He will appear when you least expect him to." "I understand what you are saying," Peyton mumbled, "But it's not helping right now. Maybe I should go talk to Jax about it." Peyton jumped off the table and was getting ready to go search for her other best friend. "Probably not a good idea Peyton," Tig responded, "Better to just keep this one between you and me." **_

_**Peyton eyed Tig curiously and he knew he was going to have to answer a lot of questions. "Why can't I talk to Jax?" she asked him, sitting back down and looking up at him, "What do you know that I don't know?" Tig had known for a few months that Jax had a thing for Peyton. He found out by accidentally stepping in on a conversation that he was having with Tara, actually it was more of an argument. "It's not a big deal," Tig stated, "I just overheard Jax and Tara talking a few months ago. She may or may not have been jealous of his relationship with you and as he tried to deny it, it was written all over his face that he felt more for you than he was letting on. Peyton, so help me God, if you say a word to him..." "I promise I won't let on about knowing that Jackie boy has a little crush on me," Peyton replied with a small smile on her face, "I guess he sort of feels the same way I feel, because the feelings I have for Jax are not the same as his feelings for me." Tig nodded his head and smiled.**_

Tig looked down at Peyton's small figure curled up beside him. He couldn't believe how things had changed in 17 years. Peyton was a completely different person now. She was the mother of two with two more little ones on the way, she had a huge bag of life experience that no one should have to go through at such a young age. She was about to marry the man of her dreams, again. He laughed quietly at this. He never understood why Juice had ended things with her, but it didn't matter. Juice had realized the error of his ways and 10 years later he was righting his wrongs. Tig was happy that they had worked things out because the two of them honestly couldn't be more perfect for each other.

Tig tried to move himself, not wanting to wake Peyton up when a searing pain shot through his stomach. "Fuck," he grumbled, grabbing his stomach, "What the hell?" At that moment Peyton pushed herself up and looked at Tig. "Don't make any big movements," she said quietly, looking up at him, "You're hurt." Tig looked down at her and his pain disappeared. "What happened Peyton?" he asked her before taking a deep breath, "Why am I at St. Thomas?" "One of Byron's guys stabbed you in the bathroom," Peyton replied, "They managed to repair the damage that he caused with the rusty knife, but they were unable to care for you properly at Stockton so they brought you here. There are police officers outside your door and if you aren't on the guest list, you can't come in. Once you are better they will send you back."

Tig nodded his head as the memories quickly flooded back. "What about Tully?" Tig asked, furrowing his brow. "From what Jax was saying, Tully's pretty pissed," Peyton replied, "I'm sure by the time you get back to Stockton, the problem will have been dealt with." Tig looked at Peyton as she shuddered. "With all the shit you guys are involved with, I'm surprised that I've stuck around as long as I have," Peyton stated as she giggled, "This shit would have scared any normal woman away years ago!" Tig laughed at how true that statement was. "You care too much baby girl," Tig replied smiling at her, "You could never leave us for good." "I'm crazy about all of you," Peyton admitted, "You guys, my parents, Gemma, Nero, Tara, the boys and Lyla... that's all the family I need, or ever want."

Tig pulled Peyton gently into his arms and they sat there in silence. Tig looked over and Juice and he was still snoring. He was embracing and enjoying this moment that he had with Peyton, because he knew that before long he would be on his way back to Stockton. He just wanted this to be over so he could get back home to his club and to the people that meant the world to him.


	28. Chapter 28

A few days later Peyton was sitting across from Tig and Happy and staring at her cards. Trying to play poker with those two was like trying to tell your 4 year old child that it was time to stop playing with the iPad. She was never going to win. She wasn't a horrible player, but compared to those two, she didn't stand a chance. She threw her cards in the middle. "I fold," she grumbled, "And I'm done playing. I've lost $150.00 to you thieves!"

Tig and Happy were laughing as Dr. Tara walked into the room. "You guys better be playing nice with Peyton," she stated, smiling at all of them as she picked up Tig's chart, "How you feeling big guy?" "Horrible," Tig lied with a big smile on his face, "I figure that the more I bullshit the longer you will keep me here at St. Thomas. What do you say Dr. Knowles?" "Tig, as much as I would love to keep you here, it's time for you to go back to Stockton," Tara replied, "I have spoken with the officer outside your room and told him how you are doing. By the sounds of it, you get discharged tomorrow morning." Tig rolled his eyes. "Damnit," he mumbled, "They should just release me. That bastard deserved to die."

He quickly looked over at Peyton. "I'm sorry sweetheart," he replied quietly, "I shouldn't have said that." "Don't apologize Tiggy," Peyton replied, "You just said what everyone has been thinking over the last six months. I'm not upset that you killed him, I'm upset that you were put away for killing him." Peyton stood up and leaned over Tig, kissing him gently on the forehead. Tig put his hand on her belly and looked up at her. "I just don't want to miss the big shit," he said, "When I killed him we didn't know that you were getting married or having babies." Peyton, Happy and Tara laughed at Tig's statement. "You're too much," Tara stated putting his chart down.

The entire club, Jax, Chibs, Quinn, Rat and Juice all walked into Tig's room and the rest of them fell silent. Jax's look was serious which made Peyton nervous.

"Is everything ok?" Peyton asked Jax. Juice walked up to her and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. She smiled at him and waited for Jax to respond. "Everything is fine," he replied, "I just got a call from one of guards on Tully's payroll." "What happened?" Tig asked looking up at Jax. "I guess Tully has spent the last two days righting some wrongs," Jax replied looking over at Tig, "Tully is now doing some serious time in solitary because of his extra-curricular activities. You are no longer being threatened so you head back to Stockton tomorrow morning." "Tara already informed me of that nice little tid bit," Tig stated. "Tully took care of the guy that was supposed to be watching you when you got stabbed," Jax stated, "And he also took care of Byron by having one of the guards poison his cigarettes, so Byron or the guys who hung around with Byron are no longer a threat to you."

"I'll let you guys talk," Peyton interrupted quickly, "I have to go pick up the boys from Gemma's. I'll come see you tonight before you head back tomorrow." Tig shot her a quick smile and she quickly kissed Juice on the cheek before leaving the hospital room with Tara.

"You ok?" Tara asked her once they were out in the hallway. Peyton looked at her. "To be honest...not really," Peyton replied, "I was enjoying having Tig back and now they are taking him away again. I just miss having the whole crew together, like we should be." "I know, but he will be out before you know it," Tara replied with a small smile, "Maybe even before the wedding..." Peyton rolled her eyes. "Now that's just wishful thinking," Peyton scoffed, "There will be no way that he will be released in the next six months." "Well you never know," Tara replied, "Maybe Tig will be an extra special good boy so that he can get out in time for the big day!" Peyton just laughed at her and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek.

* * *

><p>Peyton hopped out the truck a little while later and walked up the driveway to Gemma's house. When she walked through the back door her boys and Jax and Tara's boys were squealing through the kitchen and Gemma and Nero were sitting at the island in the kitchen drinking coffee.<p>

"Hey sweetheart," Gemma said smiling at her, "I wasn't expecting you back so early. Jax said Tig was going back to Stockton tomorrow morning so I just thought you would spend more time with him." "I think losing $150.00 to him and Happy while playing poker was enough time spent," Peyton replied happily, "I swear those guys rigged the game."

Peyton walked over to Gemma and gave her a quick kiss and then moved over to give Nero a hug. "Hey Nero," she said happily, "How are you?" "I'm ok baby girl," he replied, kissing her on the forehead, "How are you and the little ones doing?" He reached out and placed his hand on her tummy. "Not very active today," Peyton replied, "The occasional kick here and there, but nothing compared to most days. The morning sickness, or all day sickness I should say, has dissipated a little so I don't constantly have my head stuck in a toilette." Nero and Gemma laughed. "That just means that your babies are growing and very healthy," Gemma exclaimed, "I would know, Jax was a terror that way. I had horrible morning sickness when I was pregnant with him."

"How were the boys?" Peyton asked them, "I hope they were good for you." "They were angels, like always," Gemma replied happily, "I was actually going to ask if I could keep them overnight? Jax and Tara are having a night to themselves and I have Abel and Thomas and they asked if Evander and Darcy could have a sleep over." "Are you sure?" Peyton asked her, "Four boys 5 and under, overnight... that's a lot of work." "I can handle it sweetheart," Gemma stated, "I look after 8 men on a regular basis. This is nothing." Peyton laughed and Nero rolled his eyes. "Sure, I don't have a problem with it," Peyton said, "The boys would love that." "Perfect!" Gemma exclaimed.

They stood in silence for a moment when Nero cleared his throat. "Peyton, do you have a minute?" he asked her. "Of course," Peyton replied, smiling at Nero, "What's up?" Nero reached for her hand and she grabbed it, curiosity taking over. "Come to the garage with me," he said excitedly. She smiled as they made their way out the back door to the garage with Gemma hot on their heels. Peyton had no idea what was going on, but based on how excited Gemma and Nero were, she was excited to see what Nero had up his sleeve.

He opened the garage door and let her go in ahead of him. Her mouth fell open and a new set of tears fell from her eyes. "I didn't know you could build things," Peyton whispered in awe as she walked up to the two bassinets set up in front of her, "Nero, they're beautiful." She ran her hands over the smooth dark colored wood and smiled at the green and yellow bows on top of each of them. "When did you do this?" she asked, looking at him. Nero walked up to her and wiped the tears from her cheeks and then kissed her on the forehead lightly. "I started the day after you told us you and Juice were having twins. I wanted to do something special for you two, mama." "They're perfect," Peyton exclaimed, wrapping her arms around his waist, "Thank you so much." "It was no problem," Nero replied happily, "I was excited to do it. I can bring them by the house tomorrow if you want, or I can load them into your truck for you now." "That would be great," Peyton replied, "I can take them home and Juice can unload them."

"You guys have been so great, so helpful," Peyton said as she walked over to Gemma and hugged her as well, "I appreciate more than I can say. I don't know how I survived without you guys." "It's what we do sweetheart," Gemma replied, "We are all about the love... and the help." Peyton giggled. "You are a strong girl Peyton," Gemma continued, "The most important part of this, is that you did survive. Even if at some points you wished you were dead, you fought through the extremely hard times and found a way out. Now here you are with people who love and care about you more than words can say and you are building a new life, a new family and remarrying the man of your dreams. It doesn't get much better than that."

Peyton could feel her heart flutter with love and happiness. She couldn't say or do anything except for smile. She didn't have the words for what she was feeling at that moment.

Peyton jumped slightly when her phone rang in her pocket. "Sorry guys, I have to take this," she stated as she walked out of the garage, "Hey baby." "Hey baby girl," Juice said on the other end, "What are you up to?" "Well I'm at Gemma's right now because I was going to pick up the boys," Peyton replied, "But Gemma offered to keep them overnight so that they can have a sleep over with Thomas and Abel. I was actually just on my way home." "Ok, well we were going to order a bunch of pizzas and hang out at the clubhouse," Juice stated, "Tara and Lyla will be there. Are you up for that?" "Sure, sounds good to me," she replied, "When are you guys going back to the clubhouse?" "Chibs and Happy are already there," Juice replied and the rest of us should be back in about half an hour." "Ok, I'll head over there then," Peyton said, "I'll see you soon." "You will," Juice replied. She could hear the smile in his voice. "I love you," she said quietly. "Love you too sweetheart," he replied.

Peyton put her phone in her pocket and went back into the kitchen where Gemma and Nero were sitting back down. "I'm headed over to the clubhouse for a pizza party," Peyton laughed, "Let the boys know that momma loves them and I will pick them up tomorrow, late morning if that's ok?" "Sounds good to me sweetheart," Gemma replied, "Don't worry about anything. Nero and I have things covered." "Thank you so much," Peyton exclaimed, "Call if you need anything." Gemma pointed to the door. "Stop worrying," Gemma said, smiling at Peyton, "Now go!" Peyton saluted them and disappeared out the door.

* * *

><p>Juice was playing a game of poker with Chibs, Happy and Jax when he heard the door to the clubhouse open and close. He looked up and there stood his beautiful fiancé. "I fold," he stated, dropping his cards on the table and standing up. Jax picked up Juice's hand and his eyes got wide. He showed the hand to the rest of the guys and everyone dropped their cards on the table. "Doesn't matter," Happy mumbled, "You won anyways." Juice quickly turned around and looked at them and then back at Peyton.<p>

"I just won us $600.00," Juice exclaimed with a huge smile on his face. "Good, because I lost $150.00 to Tig and Happy this morning," Peyton stated with a sheepish grin on her face. Juice looked at her for a minute and then turned and looked at Happy. "You mean to tell me that you took advantage of a girl that is a horrible poker player?" Juice asked Happy, trying his hardest not to laugh, "Her poker face is awful and I can't even tell you how much she lost against us when we were younger. Of course it wasn't her money she was losing. It was either her Uncle Bobby's or Chibs money. They didn't mind though, because they knew that one of them would get the money back eventually." Peyton slapped Juice playfully on the arm and furrowed her brow at him. "I'm not that bad," Peyton exclaimed, trying to plead her case. "Please," Juice stated, "When was the last time you won a hand of poker?" Peyton stared at him and the rest of the guys unable to answer this question. She just shrugged her shoulders and grinned. Everyone laughed.

Juice grabbed Peyton's hand and pulled Peyton down the hallway to his dorm room. "Finally, I get a moment alone with you," Juice breathed before crushing his lips against hers. Peyton mumbled something, but it was completely lost on Juice as he pushed her up against the wall. She wrapped her arms around his neck and sighed contentedly into his mouth. Juice pulled away from her for a moment and looked into her eyes and he could see the love that she had for him shine in them. He was a lucky man and he was about to show her just how much he loved her and needed her.

Peyton reached for his hand and smiled at him devilishly as she led him to the bathroom. She closed the door behind him and he looked at her with curiosity, almost 100% certain that he knew what was on her mind. He smiled back, liking where the moment was heading.

He took in a sharp breath of air as he felt her slide her hand into his jeans and wrap her hand around him. "Sweet Jesus," he groaned. Peyton giggled quietly as she leaned in and pressed her lips against his. He kissed her deeply, losing himself in her kiss and not focusing on anything else except for her. He quickly pulled her shirt off and threw it on the floor, not missing a beat. His lips connected with hers again like they had never left. "I love you so much," she mumbled against his mouth. God he loved her too, so much. "Me too baby girl," he replied as he lifted her in his arms and moved her to the shower, "You have no idea."

Juice turned on the shower and watched as she finished undressing herself and in that moment, he knew that everything was going to be ok. He felt a sense of peace flood through him like he never felt before and the feeling that all the bad shit was over strongly consumed him. He smiled at Peyton before he took off his clothes and joined her in the shower.

He forgot about everything that had happened and focused on her in that moment. Life couldn't be more perfect.

_***Alright all! I think we are almost there! I have a couple more ideas and I think in two or three more chapters this story will come to an end. I just wanted to prepare you all that the end is near. But for those of you who enjoyed this story, I have more ideas in my head and I am really excited to begin a new story or possibly finish the other one I started. But I also have about 5 stories that I have started, but haven't finished or just pushed to the side. Let me know what you guys would like for another story and maybe I'll see what I can do :) I would love to write a new story from ideas you guys have!**_


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